New antiviral chewing gum may fight infection, curb spread of flu & herpes virus
US researchers have developed a new antiviral chewing gum that showed the potential to substantially reduce viral loads of two herpes simplex viruses and two influenza A strains
- NEW DELHI — A
team of US researchers have developed a new antiviral chewing gum that showed
the potential to substantially reduce viral loads of two herpes simplex viruses
and two influenza A strains in experimental models.
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- Seasonal influenza epidemics occur annually, causing a
substantial global disease burden. The herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), spread
primarily through oral contact, infects over two-thirds of the global
population.
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- Low vaccination rates for influenza viruses and the lack of
an HSV vaccine underscore the need for a new approach.
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- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania targetted the
oral cavity to fight against these viruses, which are transmitted more via the
mouth than the nose.
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- In the study, published in the journal Molecular Therapy,
the team tested the ability of chewing gum made from lablab beans. They tested
Lablab purpureus -- which naturally contains an antiviral trap protein (FRIL)
-- to neutralise HSV-1 and HSV-2, and two influenza A strains H1N1 and H3N2.
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- The chewing gum formulation allowed for effective and
consistent release of FRIL at sites of viral infection.
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- They demonstrated that 40 milligrams of a two-gram bean gum
tablet was adequate to reduce viral loads by more than 95 per cent.
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- Importantly, the researchers prepared the gum as a
clinical-grade drug product to comply with the US FDA specifications for drug
products and found the gum to be safe.
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- “These observations augur well for evaluating bean gum in
human clinical studies to minimise virus infection/transmission,” said Henry
Daniell, Professor at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine.
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- The team is now looking to use lablab bean powder to tackle
bird flu -- currently having a significant impact in North America.
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- “Controlling transmission of viruses continues to be a major
global challenge. A broad-spectrum antiviral protein (FRIL) present in a
natural food product (bean powder) to neutralise not only human flu viruses but
also avian (bird) flu is a timely innovation to prevent their infection and
transmission,” Daniell said.
