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Weiss CM, Liu H, Ball EE, Hoover AR, Wong TS, Wong CF, Lam S, Hode T, Keel MK, Levenson RM, Chen WR, Coffey LL. N-dihydrogalactochitosan reduces mortality in a lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289139. [PMID: 37552656 PMCID: PMC10409267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid emergence and global dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 continues to cause an unprecedented global health burden resulting in nearly 7 million deaths. While multiple vaccine countermeasures have been approved for emergency use, additional treatments are still needed due to sluggish vaccine rollout, vaccine hesitancy, and inefficient vaccine-mediated protection. Immunoadjuvant compounds delivered intranasally can guide non-specific innate immune responses during the critical early stages of viral replication, reducing morbidity and mortality. N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC) is a novel mucoadhesive immunostimulatory polymer of β-0-4-linked N-acetylglucosamine that is solubilized by the conjugation of galactose glycans with current applications as a cancer immunotherapeutic. We tested GC as a potential countermeasure for COVID-19. GC was well-tolerated and did not produce histopathologic lesions in the mouse lung. GC administered intranasally before and after SARS-CoV-2 exposure diminished morbidity and mortality in humanized ACE2 receptor expressing mice by up to 75% and reduced infectious virus levels in the upper airway. Fluorescent labeling of GC shows that it is confined to the lumen or superficial mucosa of the nasal cavity, without involvement of adjacent or deeper tissues. Our findings demonstrate a new application for soluble immunoadjuvants such as GC for preventing disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 and may be particularly attractive to persons who are needle-averse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M. Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Hongwei Liu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Erin E. Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Ashley R. Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Talia S. Wong
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Chun Fung Wong
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Samuel Lam
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Tomas Hode
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - M. Kevin Keel
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Richard M. Levenson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UC Davis Health, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Wei R. Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Lark L. Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
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Jang D, Lee D, Jung J, Ryoo S. Low molecular weight chitooligosaccharide inhibits infection of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. J Appl Microbiol 2022; 133:1089-1098. [PMID: 35543341 PMCID: PMC9347542 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The discovery of antiviral substances to respond to COVID-19 is a global issue, including the field of drug development based on natural materials. Here, we showed that chitosan-based substances have natural antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. METHODS AND RESULTS The molecular weight of chitosan-based substances was measured by the gel permeation chromatography analysis. In MTT assay, the chitosan-based substances have low cytotoxicity to Vero cells. The antiviral effect of these substances was confirmed by quantitative viral RNA targeting the RdRp and E genes and plaque assay. Among the substances tested, low molecular weight chitooligosaccharide decreased the fluorescence intensity of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein of the virus-infected cells in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the chitooligosaccharide, a candidate for natural treatment, has antiviral effects against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in vitro. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY In this study, it was suggested for the first time that chitosan-based substances such as chitooligosaccharide can have an antiviral effect on SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghwan Jang
- Clinical Research Center, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital, Masan Happo-gu, Changwon, 51755, Republic of Korea
| | - Dagyum Lee
- Clinical Research Center, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital, Masan Happo-gu, Changwon, 51755, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihee Jung
- Clinical Research Center, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital, Masan Happo-gu, Changwon, 51755, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungweon Ryoo
- Clinical Research Center, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital, Masan Happo-gu, Changwon, 51755, Republic of Korea
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