Journal Article

Evaluation of silver nanoparticles for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers: In vitro and in vivo

Moreno, Sandra, Pestryakov, Alexey, Reyes-Escamilla, Alberto, Patrón-Romero, Leslie, Bogdanchikova, Nina, Plascencia-López, Ismael, Alvarado-Vera, Martha, Valencia-Manzo, Daniel, Almanza-Reyes, Horacio, Borrego, Belén, Brun, Alejandro

2021

Overview

SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital areas is of a particular concern, since the close interaction between health care personnel and patients diagnosed with COVID-19, which allows virus to be easily spread between them and subsequently to their families and communities. Preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare personnel is essential to reduce the frequency of infections and outbreaks during the pandemic considering that they work in high-risk areas. In this research, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were tested in vitro and shown to have an inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2 infection in cultured cells. Subsequently, we assess the effects of mouthwash and nose rinse with ARGOVIT ® silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 contagion in health workers consider as high-risk group of acquiring the infection in the General Tijuana Hospital, Mexico, a hospital for the exclusive recruitment of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. We present a prospective randomized study of 231 participants that was carried out for 9 weeks (during the declaration of a pandemic). The \"experimental\" group was instructed to do mouthwash and nose rinse with the AgNPs solution; the \"control\" group was instructed to do mouthwashes and nose rinse in a conventional way. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower in the \"experimental\" group (two participants of 114, 1.8%) compared to the \"control\" group (thirty-three participants of 117, 28.2%), with an 84.8% efficiency. We conclude that the mouth and nasal rinse with AgNPs helps in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health personnel who are exposed to patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Biology and life sciences / Control / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / COVID-19 vaccines / Cross infection / Engineering and Technology / Epidemics / FDA approval / Food science / Health aspects / Health care / Hospitals / Immunization / Infections / International organizations / Medical personnel / Medicine and health sciences / Mexico / Morbidity / Mouthwashes / Nanoparticles / Nose / Nosocomial infections / Pandemics / Patients / People and Places / Physical Sciences / Pneumonia / Prevention / Public health / Risk groups / Severe acute respiratory syndrome / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Silver / Software / Supervision / Viral diseases / Viruses