Propylene glycol inactivates respiratory viruses and prevents airborne transmission
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
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.
Date Issued
2023-12-07
Date Acceptance
2023-10-17
Citation
EMBO Molecular Medicine, 2023, 15 (12)
ISSN
1757-4676
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
EMBO Molecular Medicine
Volume
15
Issue
12
Copyright Statement
© 2023 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37970627
Subjects
airborne transmission
influenza
propylene glycol
SARS-CoV-2
virucide
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
e17932
Date Publish Online
2023-11-16