Surfactant-based prophylaxis and therapy against COVID-19: A possibility

Abstract

Hand hygiene by washing with soap and water is recommended for the prevention of COVID-19 spread. Soaps and detergents are explained to act by damaging viral spike glycoproteins (peplomers) or by washing out the virus through entrapment in the micelles. Technically, soaps come under a functional category of molecules known as surfactants. Surfactants are widely used in pharmaceutical formulations as excipients. We wonder why surfactants are still not tried for prophylaxis or therapy against COVID-19? That too when many of them have proven antiviral properties. Moreover, lung surfactants have already shown benefits in respiratory viral infections. Therefore, we postulate that surfactant-based prophylaxis and therapy would be promising. We believe that our hypothesis would stimulate debate or new research exploring the possibility of surfactant-based prophylaxis and therapy against COVID-19. The success of a surfactant-based technique would save the world from any such pandemic in the future too.

Keywords: COVID-19; Peplomer; SARS-CoV-2; Spike glycoprotein; Surfactants.

Fig. 1

The diagrammatic presentations of the prophylactic and therapeutic applications of surfactants against COVID-19 (a) how the surfactant-based gargle prevents COVID-19; (b) entry of SARS-CoV-2 virus into lung alveoli; (c) action of surfactant on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The figure shows the inactivation of the virus by the action of surfactant on viral spike glycoprotein. The surfactant present in the interstitial fluid could also render the virus non-infective. The insert shows the internalization of the virus at low surfactant concentrations; (d) action of surfactant in circulation. The surfactant either inactivates the virus or coats the virus and renders it inactive.