Scientists have developed chewing gum that significantly reduces the level of coronaviruses in saliva

It is known that a significant proportion of viruses in COVID-19 patients are concentrated in the saliva, which prompted researchers from the United States to develop a special chewing gum that will reduce their concentration in the mouth.

The scientists’ idea was to use highly concentrated ACE2 proteins in the creation of the chewing gum, capable of “trapping” viruses in the mouth, minimizing their ability to infect cells and the people around them.

To test the effectiveness of the product, scientists mixed saliva samples from coronavirus patients with a powdered form of the prototype. The result was encouraging: virus levels in saliva decreased compared to the placebo gum.

Equally important, the gums after contact with such chewing gum neutralized the pseudotyped virus and prevented infection of the cells. Just 5 mg of chewing gum was enough to significantly reduce the penetration of the virus into the cells, and 50 mg reduced it by 95%.