Microbial pathogens, including bacteria and fungi, cause oral diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, every year. The researchers claimed that microbes can colonize the surfaces of teeth forming intractable biofilms, causing severe dental caries. For oral diseases, the main source of pathogen transmission occurs through saliva droplets and aerosolized particles.
Study: Elimination of different strains of Corona virus (SARS-COV-2 delta, omicron, OC43) and influenza (H1N1, H3N2) by plant viral trap proteins in chewing gum to reduce infection and transmission. Image credit: Billion Photos / Shutterstock
Fund
The organism causing the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), replicates predominantly in the salivary glands. This leads to a loss of taste and smell. Other viruses that are transmitted orally include the flu, the human papilloma virus (HPV), the Ebola virus, and so on.
SARS-CoV-2 genomic mutations are responsible for prolonging the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this virus is transmitted by nasal and oral routes, oral transmission has orders of magnitude higher than nasal transmission. Therefore, researchers believe that reducing oral viral load could substantially reduce virus transmission.
There is a need for a new method to remove pathogens present in the oral cavity, which could, in turn, reduce the rate of virus transmission. Previous studies related to SARS-CoV-2 reported that mouthwashes do not significantly change the viral load of saliva. However, qPCR can detect unviable viral particles in saliva samples obtained after two hours of mouthwash.
A previous study reported that the expression of angiotensin 2 converting enzyme (ACE2) in chloroplast could be used to treat people with pulmonary hypertension. This strategy is currently being evaluated in clinical trials to determine its efficacy in the treatment of patients with COVID-19.
According to a previous study, CTB-ACE2 chewing gum can significantly reduce the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva or swab samples from patients with COVID-19. FRIL vegetable lectin is a protein that can trap viruses that express complex-type N-glycans in the outer envelope. Wrapped viruses typically express a high level of complex N-linked glycans, mannose, and simple polysaccharides. It is important to note that both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses express complex-type N-glycans in the outer envelope.
A new study
In a new study, scientists developed chewing gum tablets containing ground CTB-ACE2 lettuce powder or Lablab purpureus bean powder using the compression process, which preserved the effectiveness of the active ingredients. This study, available as a preliminary test in Biomaterials, has explored the effectiveness of trapping gum CTB-ACE2 against different strains of SARS-CoV-2. He optimized the protein release kinetics of chewing gum to evaluate proteins in the oral cavity before initiating clinical trials.
The researchers used microbubble (N antigen) and RAPID (spike protein) assays in this study. They evaluated the efficacy of the plant protein lectin trap virus (FRIL) against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus. The neutralizing capacity of FRIL was determined by a plate reduction assay and the entrapment mechanism was studied by electron micrography.
Conventionally, protein-based drugs are administered by sterile injections and require special storage and transport conditions. Therefore, these drugs are less affordable and show low levels of compliance. Several studies have addressed these challenges and developed oral delivery systems for protein drugs. This method involves the encapsulation of protein drugs in plant cells, which effectively reduces the problems associated with storage and transport.
Discoveries
The researchers reported that the plant materials used for the preparation of rubber tablets showed no bacterial or fungal growth. In addition, the moisture content of clinical grade CTB-ACE2 lettuce powder (5.5%) met the requirement of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines for powdered lettuce powder. plants administered orally.
The scientists reported that all four strains of Omicron variants were effectively removed with CTB-ACE2 rubber. The authors compared doses between both plant-derived antiviral trap proteins and revealed that both CTB-ACE2 (0.46 µg dose) and FRIL (20 µg) showed a significant decrease. It was observed that CTB-ACE2 chewing gum could effectively trap viral particles and reduce viral load in all test samples.
The antiviral activity of purified FRIL protein and lablab bean powder against H1N1, H3N2, and HCoV-OC43 influenza was also examined by plaque reduction assays. The scientists observed that the purified FRIL protein exhibited 50% inhibition against H1N1 and H3N2, at 95 ng and 96 ng, respectively. The current study reported that the FRIL protein also inhibited OC43. A dose-dependent 50% reduction in plaque was also observed using lablab bean powder and CTB-ACE2 chewing gum.
Electron micrographs showed large, densely packed clusters of superimposed grip particles and FRIL protein. The scientists conducted studies with chewing simulators and reported that the release of CTB-ACE2 was time / dose dependent. The release of active ingredients was linear up to 20 minutes of chewing.
Conclusion
A placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase I / II clinical trial is currently being conducted to determine the effect of CTB-ACE2 gum on reducing viral load in saliva. The researchers claimed that the plant-derived proteins present in the gum exhibited incredible stability at high temperatures and allowed for long-term storage at room temperature. Therefore, the new strategy of delivering viral trap proteins by chewing gum to reduce the oral viral load of SARS-CoV-2 or influenza could also be used effectively for other oral pathogens.