Antiviral Activity of the Solutions of Dinitrosyl Iron Complex Delivered to SARS-CoV-2-Infected Syrian Hamsters Placed in a Nose-Only Inhalation Exposure Chamber

No differences were found in antiviral action of the solutions of binuclear dinitrosyl iron complexes with glutathione (B-DNIC-GSH) and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) delivered sequentially to SARSCoV-2-infected Syrian hamsters in nose-only (the present study) inhalation or whole-body exposure chambers. In a whole-body exposure chamber, the animal became wet and it led only to a decrease in the level of mononuclear DNIC (M-DNIC) with thiol-containing proteins in lungs resulting in diminished EPR signal while the total Band M-DNIC pool remained unchanged. It is suggested that antiviral activity of D-DNICGSH + DETC against SARS-CoV-2 virus is due to nitrosonium cations released from B-DNIC-GSH in its decomposition induced by DETC. Without additional aerosol inhalation delivery of the solutions of DETC to animals, complex with mercaptosuccinate that is less stable than B-DNIC-GSH exerted similar antiviral effect on Syrian hamster model.