Iota-carrageenan and xylitol inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cell culture

PLoS One. 2021 Nov 19;16(11):e0259943. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259943. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Last year observed a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2) infection affecting millions of individuals worldwide. There is an urgent unmet need to provide an easily producible and affordable medicine to prevent transmission and provide early treatment for this disease. Since the nasal cavity and the rhinopharynx are the sites of initial replication of SARS-CoV-2, a nasal spray may be an effective option to target SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we tested the antiviral action of three candidate nasal spray formulations against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. We determined that iota-carrageenan in concentrations as low as 6 μg/mL inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. The concentrations of iota-carrageenan with activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro may be easily achieved through the application of nasal sprays as commonly used in several countries. Recently a double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that iota-carrageenan in isotonic sodium chloride reduces ca. five times the risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 in health care personnel. Further, xylitol at a concentration of 50 mg/mL (ca. 329 mM) was found to exert some antiviral action, though this preliminary finding needs further confirmation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology
  • Carrageenan / pharmacology*
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Nasal Sprays
  • SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects*
  • Vero Cells
  • Xylitol / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Nasal Sprays
  • Carrageenan
  • Xylitol

Grants and funding

Amcyte Pharma Inc. funded the study and decided to publish it, but did not have any additional role in the study design or, data collection. JCV has a commercial affiliation to Amcyte Pharma Inc and has contributed to data analysis and preparation of the manuscript. Samples for this study were prepared by personnel from Laboratorio Pablo Cassará S.R.L. JCV receives a salary from Laboratorio Pablo Cassará S.R.L. As disclosed previously, JCV has a commercial affiliation to Amcyte Pharma Inc., as well. JMF, AD and CP receive funding from Fundación Pablo Cassará. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘Author Contributions’ section.