The Roles and Mechanisms of Electro-Activated Liquid Chemicals on the Inactivation of the Abnormal Prion Protein of Chronic Wasting Disease

Abstract

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by the conversion of normal prion protein (PrPC) into an abnormal, infectious form (PrPSc). These diseases affect various mammals, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD) disease in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, scrapie in goats and sheep, and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. This study investigated environmentally friendly electro-activated liquid chemicals (EALCs) as alternative prion disinfectants to the harsh chemicals conventionally used for decontamination. Brain homogenates from CWD-infected elk were treated with various EALCs (four catholytes, five anolytes, commercial CAC-717 and BrioHOCl), NaOH and bleach, all shown to be bactericidal. Treatment was followed by the quantitative detection of residual seeding activity of PrPSc by real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) assay. The results showed that Catholyte 4 and CAC-717 achieved 1,000- to 10,000-fold reductions in seeding activity, while NaOH and bleach eliminated detectable amplification. Other EALCs demonstrated variable efficacy depending on treatment concentration and sample type, with BrioHOCl and Anolyte 2 showing greater reductions on surface-bound PrPSc than in tissue homogenates. These findings support the potential of selecting EALCs as practical alternatives for prion decontamination.