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A novel antiviral formulation inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection of human bronchial epithelium

Purves, K.; Haverty, R.; O'Neill, T.; Folan, D.; O'Reilly, S.; Baird, A. W.; Scholz, D.; Mallon, P. W.; Gautier, V.; Folan, M.; Fletcher, N. F.

2022-10-05 pharmacology and toxicology
10.1101/2022.10.05.510928 bioRxiv
Show abstract

A novel proprietary formulation, ViruSAL, has previously been demonstrated to inhibit diverse enveloped viral infections in vitro and in vivo. We evaluated the ability of ViruSAL to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, using physiologically relevant models of the human bronchial epithelium, to model early infection of the upper respiratory tract. ViruSAL potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection of human bronchial epithelial cells cultured as an air-liquid interface (ALI) model, in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Viral infection was completely inhibited when ViruSAL was added to bronchial airway models prior to infection. Importantly, ViruSAL also inhibited viral infection when added to ALI models post-infection. No evidence of in vitro cellular toxicity was detected in ViruSAL treated cells at concentrations that completely abrogated viral infectivity. Moreover, intranasal instillation of ViruSAL to a rat model did not result in any toxicity or pathological changes. Together these findings highlight the potential for ViruSAL as a novel and potent antiviral for use within clinical and prophylactic settings.

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