Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an antiviral chewing gum that may help reduce the spread of common viruses like influenza and herpes.
This new research offers a simple, natural, and potentially powerful way to lower virus levels in the mouth—one of the main areas where these viruses spread.
The study, published in Molecular Therapy, was led by Professor Henry Daniell and his team at the School of Dental Medicine.
They created a chewing gum using lablab beans (Lablab purpureus), which naturally contain a protein called FRIL.
This protein acts like a trap, capturing and neutralizing viruses. When added to chewing gum, FRIL is slowly released in the mouth, where it can target viruses directly at the source of infection and transmission.
The researchers tested this gum against two types of herpes viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and two strains of the flu virus (H1N1 and H3N2).
Their results were impressive: just 40 milligrams of FRIL in a two-gram piece of gum reduced the virus levels by more than 95%.
That’s a similar success rate to what they saw in an earlier study, where the same type of gum was shown to reduce COVID-19 virus in saliva samples by over 95%.
Unlike vaccines, which work by training the immune system to fight viruses, this chewing gum works by lowering the amount of virus present in the mouth.
This is especially helpful because viruses like flu and herpes are more easily passed through the mouth than through the nose. The gum is easy to use, doesn’t need a doctor’s visit, and doesn’t require an injection or blood draw.
One of the biggest advantages of this gum is its safety. The team made sure the product met the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) safety standards for drug products, and it was found to be safe for human use.
Because of this, the gum is now being tested in human clinical trials to see if it can be used to prevent the spread of viruses in real-life situations.
Daniell and his team are also working to apply this bean-based technology to help stop bird flu, which has recently caused the deaths of millions of birds in North America.
They hope to use the same antiviral bean powder in bird feed to help protect poultry and reduce the risk of the virus spreading to humans.
This antiviral gum could become a new tool in our fight against infectious diseases. It’s a low-cost, natural product with the potential to reduce virus transmission not only among people but also in animals, offering new hope in global health efforts.
If you care about health, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to severe COVID-19, death, and how diets could help manage post-COVID syndrome.
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