There is an ointment called Neosporin, which is one of the most popular home remedies in the United States because it can be purchased and applied without a prescription when a small wound occurs. A new study has shown that lightly applying this ointment inside the nose is effective in preventing respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 and the flu. This is what the health and medicine webzine ‘Health Day’ reported on the 23rd (local time) based on a review paper by researchers at Yale University published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Neosporin contains antibiotic ingredients such as neomycin, bacitracin, and polymyxin B. Among them, the researchers found that neomycin triggers a rapid immune response from genes in the nose, which acts as the first line of defense to prevent virus invasion. “It is an interesting discovery that an inexpensive antibiotic ointment that can be purchased without a prescription can stimulate the human body to activate an antiviral response,” said Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology and dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine and the principal investigator.
In a background note, the researchers pointed out that the COVID-19 virus has infected more than 774 million people and killed nearly 7 million. Additionally, the flu virus causes up to 5 million severe illnesses and 500,000 deaths annually.
A common strategy to combat this respiratory disease is to block the progression of the infection through intravenous injections or oral pills. However, the researchers believed that a nasal-focused approach was much more likely to stop the infection before it spreads to the lungs and causes life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia.
Through animal experiments on mice, researchers discovered that applying neomycin to the nasal cavity triggered a strong immune response in mice exposed to COVID-19 and flu viruses. The researchers also found that neomycin strongly protected laboratory hamsters from contact transmission of COVID-19.
A strong immune response was also observed in a small clinical trial in which Neosporin was applied intranasally to 21 healthy people. The neomycin component induced the expression of interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) in the nasal mucosa, eliciting a strong immune response against the virus.
“Our findings suggest that this inexpensive, common antibiotic can be optimized to prevent viral diseases and their spread, especially in resource-limited global communities,” said Professor Iwasaki. He also predicted, “Because this approach is host-oriented, it will work no matter what the virus is.”
Fucidin and Madecassol, Korea’s representative wound ointments, do not contain neomycin. Madecassol’s sister products, ‘Madecasol Care’ and ‘Complex Madecassol’, contain neomycin.
The paper can be found at the following link (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2319566121).
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