Towards the Development of a Cream with Antiviral Properties Targeting Both the Influenza A Virus and SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Objective: Many severe acute respiratory infections are caused by viral pathogens, and viruses are responsible for a large number of deaths worldwide. Among the most common respiratory viruses are the influenza A virus (IAV) and, more recently, the SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in 2019 and caused the most significant human pandemic of the beginning of the 21st century. Both IAV and SARS-CoV-2 share clinical features and a common transmission route through the emission of viral particles via aerosols and droplets. These penetrate the host after entry from the nose and mouth or an indirect mode of transmission via contact contamination of different media. These facts prompted us to investigate the possibility of designing a soft cream with a virucidal activity targeted against IAV and SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We first investigated the action of chemical compounds known to have antiviral properties such as cyclodextrin, or algae extracts containing sulfated polysaccharides, on cultured cells infected with lentiviral viral particles pseudotyped (VP) with either proteins HA (hemagglutinin) and NA (neuraminidase) from IAV or the G protein from the vesicular stomatitis virus or spike-bearing particles in order to select molecules with antiviral activities in human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) cells. Results: Our results show that some cyclodextrin-containing creams can significantly reduce the stability of HANA- and spike-bearing particles when they are applied prior to challenge with a viral inoculum on skin. Conclusions: We observed some specificities of these creams towards either IAV or SARS-CoV-2, indicating that the neutralization of viral activity is correlated with the mechanism of receptor interaction and entry of these two pathogens.