Day 2: Aronia contributions to prevention of viral infection
In a comparative study published on bioRxiv.org, aronia juice was a potent means of inactivating influenza, adenovirus, and COVID-19 in vitro. This type of evidence is promising, exciting, and supports more studies examining how oral rinsing with aronia and other juices, in combination with good oral hygiene, can help prevent viral infection. Could aronia have a “swish and protect” benefit?
Antiviral activity of plant juices and green tea against SARS CoV-2 and influenza virus in vitro
Bruno Frank et al. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.30.360545
click to go to the article at biorxiv.org
THERE IS EVIDENCE that using oral rinses or mouthwashes can have virucidal (killing viruses) and/or infection inhibitive effects that improve antiviral effectiveness. Good oral hygiene can help, too.
IN OTHER WORDS, not only keeping healthy and safely isolated, but also using lots of different ways to help reduce the likelihood of infection or power of a virus to infect our cells, can help us fight off foreign invaders and prevent illness.
Drinking aronia juice is beneficial to our health, but is it possible that SWISHING WITH ARONIA JUICE COULD HELP PREVENT VIRAL INFECTION?
Adding ways that are inexpensive, doable, and effective, to improving our resistance to infection support our health.
Antiviral activity of plant juices and green tea against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus in vitro
Bruno Frank, Carina Conzelmann, Tatjana Weil, Rüdiger Groß, Peggy Jungke, Maren Eggers, Janis A. Müller, Jan Münch, Uwe Kessler
1. Researchers did an in vitro study, which means they studied the effect of essentially “bathing” or exposing cells to different juices to see if after this, cells responded differently to viral infection with 3 viruses: influenza A, adenovirus type 5, SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19), or vaccinia virus.
2. Juices they studied were aronia, elderberry, and pomegranate juices, and green tea. They compared everything to a placebo (just liquid).
3. Research found that in vitro (in a petri dish, not in a human) exposures of COVID-19 virus to aronia juice reduced viral titers in the culture by more than 96%.
4. Aronia was more powerful than other juices at inactivating influenza A, COVID-19, and adenovirus.
SWISHING or DRINKING juices might not be as effective as using chemical or harsh mouthwashes in killing viruses that enter through our mouths, but they have other benefits, are able to be used more frequently, and may have a place in making recommendations to people to include in their daily lives to prevent infection!
How does it work?
Antiviral activities of plant produces may be based on:
acidic pH
compounds that directly act on viruses
compounds that aronia is packed with include polyphenols such as catechins, tannins, or flavonoids
The action on the virus and cells can be:
destroying virus structure
preventing interaction with our cells
affecting viral enzymes and function
simply washing away viral loads in the mouth
Other compounds present in aronia fruit are being studied to understand the many ways that aronia might affect immune function, and in today’s topic, viral infection.
Click the image to link to an article describing how Canadian Pharmaceutical Company Valeo’s over-the-counter product Hesperco, containing hesperidin a compound present in aronia berries, might help reduce the ability of COVID-19 to infect our cells and function in infection.
Hesperidin, a compound present in aronia berries, targets a receptor ACE-2 to affect how well viruses can infect our cells. Click the button below to link to a new article published in May 2020 that looked for multiple targets that drugs or supplements could target to help prevent COVID-19 infection or treat illness.
Dr. John Zyzo, Jr., DMD,
Associate Dentist in Private Practice
Dr. Zyzo is a University of Connecticut (BS, Molecular and Cell Biology) and University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine (DMD) alumnus and former Rowe Scholar at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Zyzo provides comprehensive dental care to his patients and teaches dental residents at Danbury Hospital. He is committed to evidence-based practice and supports ongoing research that explores the link between oral and systemic health. His specific areas of interest include diabetes, nutrition, and fitness. Dr. Zyzo hopes to contribute to future studies that further implicate the role of oral hygiene in overall health.
"Oral health and hygiene is not just about our teeth, but our overall health. Papers like those recently published in Nature (Could there be a link between oral hygiene and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections?) present data that tell us that taking care of our oral health can also contribute to prevention or reduction in severity of infection. Collaborations between clinicians like me and the EC Lee Laboratory will help us understand more and translate evidence-based findings to practical recommendations for our patients."
