Astodrimer sodium nasal spray forms a barrier to SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and preserves normal mucociliary function in human nasal epithelium

Area of Science:

• Respiratory Virology
• Nasal Drug Delivery
• Immunocompromised Care

Background:

• COVID-19 and other respiratory infections pose significant risks, especially to immunocompromised individuals.
• Virus-laden droplets transmit infections through nasal and oral mucosae.
• Nasal sprays are a potential protective measure, but must maintain nasal physiological functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the antiviral barrier efficacy and mucociliary function effects of astodrimer sodium nasal spray (AS-NS).
• To compare AS-NS with other nasal sprays: low pH hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC-NS), iota-carrageenan (Carr-NS), nitric oxide (NO-NS), and povidone iodine (PI-NS).

Main Methods:

• Assays simulated clinical conditions using airway cell monolayers and a human nasal epithelium model (MucilAir™).
• Evaluated antiviral barrier function, cell viability, tissue integrity, cytotoxicity, cilia beating frequency, and mucociliary clearance.
• Compared AS-NS performance against HPMC-NS, Carr-NS, NO-NS, and PI-NS.

Main Results:

• AS-NS demonstrated significant reduction of infectious virus in cell monolayers with a benign cytotoxicity profile.
• AS-NS exhibited no adverse impact on nasal mucociliary function (cilia beating and clearance) in ex vivo human nasal epithelium.
• Other tested nasal sprays showed limited antiviral effects, with HPMC-NS inhibiting mucociliary function.

Conclusions:

• Astodrimer sodium nasal spray presents an acceptable nonclinical efficacy and safety profile.
• AS-NS acts as a barrier nasal spray against respiratory viral infections in the nasal cavity.
• AS-NS is a promising option for protecting against respiratory viruses while preserving nasal function.