The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has required a variety of non-medical interventions to limit the transmission of the causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One such option is over-the-counter nasal sprays that aim to block virus entry and transmission within the nasal cavity. In this study, we assessed the ability of three hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)-based powder nasal sprays, produced by Nasaleze, to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection and release in vitro. Upon application, the HPMC powder forms a gel-like matrix within the nasal cavity—a process we recapitulated in cell culture. We found that virus release from cells previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 was inhibited by the gel matrix product in a dose-dependent manner, with virus levels reduced by >99.99% over a 72 h period at a dose of 6.4 mg/3.5 cm 2 . We also show that the pre-treatment of cells with product inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection, independent of the virus variant. The primary mechanism of action appears to be via the formation of a physical, passive barrier. However, the addition of wild garlic provided additional direct antiviral properties in some formulations. We conclude that HPMC-based nasal sprays may offer an additional component to strategies to limit the spread of respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Nasal spray, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, coronavirus, pandemic, SARS-COV-2 infection, variant, Infection, Intervention, Transmission, nasal, in vitro, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus, virus, Garlic, respiratory viruses, Spread, Cell culture, virus entry, respiratory, Nasal cavity, dose, antiviral property, independent of, in some, causative agent, Nasal Sprays, acute respiratory syndrome, methylcellulose, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, dose-dependent manner, product, primary mechanism, offer, HPMC, virus levels, physical, limit, Cell, independent, produced, addition, required, inhibited, form, provided, reduced, appear, variety, gel, infected with SARS-CoV-2, inhibit SARS-CoV-2, virus level, 【제목키워드】 spray,