Inactivation Activities of Ozonated Water, Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water and Ethanol against SARS-CoV-2.

Yohei Takeda,Hourei Oh,Yoshimasa Makita,Haruko Ogawa,Sachiko Matsuda,Dulamjav Jamsransuren,Akihiro Kaneko

doi:10.3390/molecules26185465

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the SARS-CoV-2-inactivation activity and virucidal mechanisms of ozonated water (OW) with those of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) and 70% ethanol (EtOH). SARS-CoV-2-inactivation activity was evaluated in a virus solution containing 1%, 20% or 40% fetal bovine serum (FBS) with OW, SAEW or EtOH at a virus-to-test solution ratio of 1:9, 1:19 or 1:99 for a reaction time of 20 s. EtOH showed the strongest virucidal activity, followed by SAEW and OW. Even though EtOH potently inactivated the virus despite the 40% FBS concentration, virus inactivation by OW and SAEW decreased in proportion to the increase in FBS concentration. Nevertheless, OW and SAEW showed potent virucidal activity with 40% FBS at a virus-to-test solution ratio of 1:99. Real-time PCR targeting the viral genome revealed that cycle threshold values in the OW and SAEW groups were significantly higher than those in the control group, suggesting that OW and SAEW disrupted the viral genome. Western blotting analysis targeting the recombinant viral spike protein S1 subunit showed a change in the specific band into a ladder upon treatment with OW and SAEW. OW and SAEW may cause conformational changes in the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Highlights

The global prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) has not yet been fully controlled, despite the remarkable speed of development of therapeutic drugs and vaccines
When the virus solution (1% fetal bovine serum (FBS) concentration) and test solutions were mixed at a virus-totest solution ratio of 1:9, the viral titer of the 70% EtOH group was below the detection limit
ozonated water (OW) with a high concentration (10 ppm) of ozone has been reported to be effective in rapidly inactivating SARS-CoV-2 at a virus-to-test solution ratio of 1:99 [8]

Summary

Introduction

The global prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) has not yet been fully controlled, despite the remarkable speed of development of therapeutic drugs and vaccines. To prevent further spread of infection, it is necessary to install individual infection prevention measures in daily life that can be implemented for society as a whole. SARS-CoV-2 may be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes through transfer onto hands, as well as via respiratory droplets. In addition to countermeasures against the prevention of respiratory transmission, hand hygiene is important for stricter infection control [1]. Hand hygiene involves hand washing with soap and running water. Disinfection of viruses with rubbing alcohol has become mainstream worldwide [2,3]

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