Although our understanding of COVID-19 continuously progresses, essential questions regarding prophylaxis and treatment remain open. A hallmark of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is a hitherto-undescribed mechanism leading to excessive inflammation and tissue destruction associated with enhanced pathogenicity and mortality. ABSTRACT SARS-CoV-2 infection causing the COVID-19 pandemic calls for immediate interventions to avoid viral transmission, disease progression, and subsequent excessive inflammation and tissue destruction. Primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells are among the first targets of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we show that ColdZyme medical device mouth spray efficiently protected against virus entry, excessive inflammation, and tissue damage. Applying ColdZyme to fully differentiated, polarized human epithelium cultured at an air-liquid interphase (ALI) completely blocked binding of SARS-CoV-2 and increased local complement activation mediated by the virus as well as productive infection of the tissue model. While SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in exaggerated intracellular complement activation immediately following infection and a drop in transepithelial resistance, these parameters were bypassed by single pretreatment of the tissues with ColdZyme mouth spray. Crucially, our study highlights the importance of testing already evaluated and safe drugs such as ColdZyme mouth spray for maintaining epithelial integrity and hindering SARS-CoV-2 entry within standardized three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models mimicking the in vivo human airway epithelium.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, antiviral response, airway epithelia, ColdZyme, anaphylatoxins, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Treatment, Mortality, SARS-COV-2 infection, COVID-19 pandemic, Infection, Intervention, Local, complement, drug, virus, Prophylaxis, Disease progression, virus entry, target, Viral transmission, pathogenicity, in vivo, epithelial, mechanism, binding, Safe, Human airway epithelium, Activation, tissue, tissue damage, SARS-CoV-2 entry, excessive inflammation, hallmark, while, parameter, in vitro model, severe SARS-CoV-2, highlight, blocked, subsequent, evaluated, question, bronchial epithelial cell, bypassed, mimicking, Applying, 【제목키워드】 integrity,