New research jointly conducted by Penn's School of Dental Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine has found that chewing gum has the ability to prevent contagious diseases.
The study, led by W.D. Miller Professor in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences Henry Daniell, was published in the journal Molecular Theory on Jan. 8, and research indicated a 95% reduction in the spread of infection.
Daniell and his team began by experimenting with a special type of gum called "Lablab purpureus," otherwise known as lablab beans. The gum is closely related to "Lathyrus oleraceus," commonly referred to as a pea-pod. The particular bean was of interest because it contained an antiviral trap protein known as FRIL.
Usually, the proteins are naturally produced in the human body to help fight off infections by stopping virus replications in host cells. By chewing 40 milligrams of a two-gram lablab gum, researchers "found that levels of viral RNA fell so dramatically to be almost undetectable."
Now, the group of researchers, in collaboration with the School of Veterinary Medicine, is testing if the formula can start to break down infectious cells within animals with the hope that the gum may help curb avian flu. In North America, 54 million birds have been affected by this disease in the past three months, with seven total cases of human infection between the U.S. and Canada.
The first positive case of bird flu in Pennsylvania was discovered in Lehigh County at a domestic poultry farm, according to NBC.
"A broad spectrum antiviral protein present in a natural food product to neutralize not only human flu viruses but also avian flu is a timely innovation to prevent their infection and transmission," Daniell said to Penn Today.
Due to the breakthrough, the product may soon be available to the public. It was created and treated as a clinical-grade drug product in hopes of being approved by the FDA. The gum, according to the researchers, will provide a more effective and cost-efficient product for the mass public.
Penn researchers have experimented with gum to break down germs before. Some of the research used in this study references an earlier study conducted by Penn professor Hyun Koo, who investigated "a chewing gum infused with plant-grown proteins to disrupt dental plaque."
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