In a recent study, scientists developed chewing gum tablets containing ground CTB-ACE2 lettuce plant powder or Lablab purpureus bean powder by the compression process, which preserved the efficacy of pharmaceutical active ingredients. This study, available as pre-proof in Biomaterials, has studied the entrapment efficacy of CTB-ACE2 chewing gum against different strains of SARS-CoV-2. It optimized protein release kinetics from chewing gum to evaluate proteins in the oral cavity before proceeding to clinical trials.
Researchers used microbubbling (N-antigen) and RAPID (spike protein) assays in the study. They evaluated the effectiveness of the virus trap plant protein lectin (FRIL) against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus. The neutralizing ability of FRIL was determined using a plaque reduction assay, and the mechanism of entrapment was studied using electron micrography.
The conventional method suggests, protein-based drugs are suppose to be administered via sterile injections and require special conditions for storage and transportation. Hence, these drugs are less affordable and show low levels of patient compliance. Several studies have addressed these challenges and developed oral delivery systems for protein drugs. This method involves the encapsulation of protein drugs in plant cells, which effectively reduces the problems associated with storage and transportation.
Scientists reported that all four strains of Omicron variants were effectively debulked using CTB-ACE2 gum. The authors compared the doses between both plant-based anti-viral trap proteins and results showed that both CTB-ACE2 (0.46 µg dose) and FRIL (20 µg) showed significant debulking. It was also observed that CTB-ACE2 chewing gum could effectively trap viral particles and reduce viral load in all test samples.