Propylene glycol inactivates respiratory viruses and prevents airborne transmission.
EMBO Mol Med
; 15(12): e17932, 2023 Dec 07.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37970627
ABSTRACT
Viruses are vulnerable as they transmit between hosts, and we aimed to exploit this critical window. We found that the ubiquitous, safe, inexpensive and biodegradable small molecule propylene glycol (PG) has robust virucidal activity. Propylene glycol rapidly inactivates a broad range of viruses including influenza A, SARS-CoV-2 and rotavirus and reduces disease burden in mice when administered intranasally at concentrations commonly found in nasal sprays. Most critically, vaporised PG efficiently abolishes influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 infectivity within airborne droplets, potently preventing infection at levels well below those tolerated by mammals. We present PG vapour as a first-in-class non-toxic airborne virucide that can prevent transmission of existing and emergent viral pathogens, with clear and immediate implications for public health.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Influenza A virus
/
Influenza, Human
/
COVID-19
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
EMBO Mol Med
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: