establishment and application of a model for sars-cov-2 infection of human nasal mucosa organoid

Background: the covid-19 pandemic underscores the need for effective models to study sars-cov-2 infection and evaluate antiviral therapies. objectives: this study aimed to develop a human nasal organoid model to assess susceptibility to sars-cov-2 and its variants and to evaluate the antiviral effects of compounds such as camostat, remdesivir, and bergamottin. methods: nasal organoids were infected with sars-cov-2 and hcov-oc43 pseudoviruses, followed by wild-type and variant strains in a bsl-3 laboratory. viral content was measured at 2, 24, and 48 hours post-infection using qpcr, and infected cells were identified via immunofluorescence. results: the organoids demonstrated susceptibility to sars-cov-2 and hcov-oc43 pseudoviruses (p < 0.001) and were effectively infected with sars-cov-2 variants. remdesivir, hesperidin, and bergamottin exhibited dose-dependent antiviral effects (p < 0.0001). conclusions: human nasal organoids represent a valuable model for studying sars-cov-2 infection and evaluating antiviral drugs, particularly for nasal applications in vitro.