Mouthwashes with CPC Reduce the Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 Variants In Vitro. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Muñoz-Basagoiti, J.; Perez-Zsolt, D.; León, R.; Blanc, V.; Raïch-Regué, D.; Cano-Sarabia, M.; Trinité, B.; Pradenas, E.; Blanco, J.; Gispert, J.; Clotet, B.; Izquierdo-Useros, N.
• Is Part Of: Journal of dental research. Volume 100:Number 11(2021)
• Page Start: 1265
• Page End: 1272
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: oral hygiene -- virucide -- airborne transmission -- COVID-19 -- cellular infection -- coronaviruses; Dentistry -- Periodicals; Dentistry -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Dentistry -- Periodicals; Research -- Periodicals; 617.6005
• DOI: 10.1177/00220345211029269
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-0345

Abstract

Oral mouthwashes decrease the infectivity of several respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2. However, the precise agents with antiviral activity in these oral rinses and their exact mechanism of action remain unknown. Here we show that cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a quaternary ammonium compound in many oral mouthwashes, reduces SARS-CoV-2 infectivity by inhibiting the viral fusion step with target cells after disrupting the integrity of the viral envelope. We also found that CPC-containing mouth rinses decreased more than a thousand times the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, while the corresponding vehicles had no effect. This activity was effective for different SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the B.1.1.7 or Alpha variant originally identified in United Kingdom, and in the presence of sterilized saliva. CPC-containing mouth rinses could therefore represent a cost-effective measure to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in saliva, aiding to reduce viral transmission from infected individuals regardless of the variants they are infected with.