Fig. 1.

ASTEX exert cytoprotective and anti-viral effects in vitro. (A) SARS-CoV-2-infected Calu-3 cells pre-treated with ASTEX show enhanced survival, reduced IL-6 secretion (B), and reduced NFkB activation (C, D) compared to vehicle (Veh)- or EVs from immortaliced CDC EVs (TEV-1) treated groups (Mock: uninfected cells). ASTEX also exerted anti-viral effects as shown by reduced copy numbers of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoproteins N1 (E) and N2 (F). (A-F; n=three biological replicates per group). Comparisons between two groups were done using a Student's T test and comparisons between three or more were done using One Way ANOVA with Tukey's test for multiple comparisons; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 using a 95% CI. Scale bar for D: 500 μm.