Researchers have developed an anti -viral medical gum able to reduce viral loads in the oral cavity by more than 95%. This innovation represents an important step towards reducing the spread of many infectious viruses, such as the influenza virus and a simple herpes virus.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania, in cooperation with a Finnish team, and its results were published in the magazine “Molecular Therapy” last January, and was written by Yurrick Alert.
Viral load expresses the amount of the virus in the blood, which is an indication of the severity of infection and the possibility of the virus, the lower the viral load, the lower the virus’s ability to spread.
Innovation is based on a natural antiviral protein called Friel (FRIL), which is extracted from the ivy purpureus, which is a tropical plant of the legumes family. This protein has been used to develop a drug that is chewing gum.
The researchers tested the effectiveness of the gum against two types of simple herpes virus and two strains of EFNZA A. The results showed that chewing 40 milligrams of gum made of ivy pills reduced the viral loads by more than 95%, a similar decrease in what they noticed in their studies on the SARS-COV-2 virus.
The research was not limited to the effectiveness of gum, but also included the development of its composition to be safe and compatible with the standards of the American Food and Drug Administration, which paved the way for its use in clinical experiences on humans.
This gum is a promising step in combating several viruses, such as influenza and herpes. It represents a new preventive means focusing on direct infections, such as the oral cavity, which is a major gateway to entering viruses.
The team is now seeking to expand the use of gum by adding it to bird feed to combat bird flu (H5N1), which has hit more than 54 million birds in North America during the past three months, based on previous studies that showed the effectiveness of ivy powder in neutralizing the AA, which cause bird flu in humans and birds either.