# Assessment of immunopathological responses of a novel non-chemical biocide in C57BL/6 for safe disinfection usage

## TL;DR

This study shows that water electrospray is safe for air disinfection and does not cause harmful immune reactions in mice.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel non-chemical biocide and demonstrates its safety through immunopathological analysis in a mouse model.

## Key findings

- Water electrospray did not cause body weight loss or inflammatory cytokine production in mice.
- Histopathological analysis showed no lung tissue damage from water electrospray.
- Transcriptomic analysis confirmed no pathological immune response in mice treated with water electrospray.

## Abstract

Water electrospray technology has been developed and extensively studied for its physical properties and potential application as a non-chemical biocide against airborne pathogens. However, there are still concerns regarding the safety and potential toxicity of inhaling water electrospray (WE) particles. To address these potential hazards and offer insights into the impact of WE on humans, we analyzed the immunopathological response to WE by employing an intranasal challenge C57BL/6 mouse model. This analysis aimed to compare the effects of WE with those of sodium hypochlorite (SH), a well-known biocidal agent.

The study findings suggest that the WE did not trigger any pathological immune reactions in the intranasal-challenged C57BL/6 mouse model. Mice challenged with WE did not experience body weight loss, and there was no increase in inflammatory cytokine production compared to SH-treated mice. Histopathological analysis revealed that WE did not cause any damage to the lung tissue. In contrast, mice treated with SH exhibited significant lung tissue damage, characterized by the infiltration of neutrophils and eosinophils. Transcriptomic analysis of lung tissue further confirmed the absence of a pathological immune response in mice treated with WE compared to those treated with SH. Upon intranasal challenge with WE, the C57BL/6 mouse model did not show any evidence of immunopathological damage.

The results of this study suggest that WE is a safe technology for disinfecting airborne pathogens. It demonstrated little to no effect on immune system activation and pathological outcomes in the intranasal challenge C57BL/6 mouse model. These findings not only support the potential use of WE as an effective and safe method for air disinfection but also highlight the value of the intranasal challenge of the C57BL/6 mouse model in providing significant immunopathological insights for assessing the inhalation of novel materials for potential use.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42826-024-00214-6.