Cell death and barrier disruption by clinically used iodine concentrations.

ABSTRACT: Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) inactivates a broad range of pathogens. Despite its widespread use over decades, the safety of PVP-I remains controversial. Its extended use in the current SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic urges the need to clarify safety features of PVP-I on a cellular level. Our investigation in epithelial, mesothelial, endothelial, and innate immune cells revealed that the toxicity of PVP-I is caused by diatomic iodine (I₂), which is rapidly released from PVP-I to fuel organic halogenation with fast first-order kinetics. Eukaryotic toxicity manifests at below clinically used concentrations with a threshold of 0.1% PVP-I (wt/vol), equalling 1 mM of total available I₂ Above this threshold, membrane disruption, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and abolition o

SUBMITTER: Steins A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10031031 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature