New research suggests that a over-the-counter nasal spray is effective to significantly reduce and almost eliminate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 after a single dose.
An in vitro study conducted by scientists from Northwestern University and Utah State University concluded that components found in the Xlear nasal spray, especially grapefruit seed extract and xylitol, succeeded in increasing the amount of SARS. Statistically reduce CoV-2.
After a single explosion, the researchers saw the nasal spray virus decrease from 4.2 to 1.7 log10 CCID50 per 0.1 ml, a statistically significant reduction from 2.5 log10 CCID50. The news of the study was announced by Xlear and the company said that it is only the latest research that concludes that the over-the-counter spray is effective against the virus that causes COVID-19.
Xlear is currently sold as a nasal spray for cleansing and moisturizing the nasal cavities.
Professor Mark Cannon of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University said the study breaks ground into two areas. Cannon said the researchers using electron microscopy saw visual evidence showing that the combination of xylitol and grape seed extract counteracts the virus. Cannon said in the announcement that the extract of the grapes kills the virus, while the xylitol prevents the virus from attaching to the cell walls. The study postulates that xylitol acts as a lure for SARS-CoV-2, preventing virus elevation at the nuclear protein on the cell wall.
‘In addition to fighting SARS-CoV-2, Xlear is likely to be effective in preventing the spread of future H1N1 viruses, including the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, along with other viral epidemics. “Given the more transferable variants we now face, it is now critical,” Cannon said in a statement.
That in vitro evidence will no doubt be used to support a new one petition before the World Health Organization. This week, a coalition of health workers appealed to the World Health Organization to issue guidelines calling on “all people to use nasal spray to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.” The petition, supported by Xlear, points to information showing that this nasal spray is capable of blocking viral adhesion and even killing or inactivating the virus in the nose. The petition specifically calls for WHO Guidance to focus on the use of nasal sprays containing Xylitol and grapefruit seed extract, which are found in Xlear.
“Nasal spray is safe, inexpensive, non-invasive, easy to use, and you can get it on the shelf in your local store around the world. There is a growing body of data that sprays, particularly Xlear, can help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s common sense, “Xlear CEO Nathan Jones said in a statement.
In December, Xlear filed a request for emergency authorization with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in hopes of ensuring the administration of the spray as a new hygiene tool to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Xlear is not the only nasal spray that promises to provide another level of protection against COVID-19, which has infected nearly 100 million people around the world and led to more than 2 million people. Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK have developed a nasal spray that may provide protection against COVID-19. Use the syringe connections already approved by regulators in the UK, Europe and the US, including carrageenan, along with a borrowed polysaccharide.
Another nasal spray using a lipopeptide, a cholesterol particle linked to a chain of amino acids, also promised preclinical tests. As BioSpace reported earlier, the lipopeptide exactly matches the stretching of the amino acids in the vein protein of SARS-CoV-2. The lipopeptide binds itself to one of the amino acid chains of the vein and prevents viral attachment.
Most read today