New research concludes that algae extracts may be more effective than remdesivir, the current leading antiviral drug SARS-CoV-2.
The authors published their research as a piece of correspondence in the journal. Cell discovery. The foundations are laid for future studies to corroborate the human findings.
SARS-CoV-2, like all viruses, replicates by attaching itself to the membrane of a host cell, inserting its genetic material, and using the cell’s resources to create replica viruses. In this way, it can spread throughout a person’s body.
One way to inhibit the spread of this virus between people is by washing hands. While removing contaminated material, soap can also damage the outer shell of a SARS-CoV-2 particle, preventing it from sticking to other cells.
Antiviral drugs that target SARS-CoV-2 often work differently. Rather than damaging the virus’s outer membrane, they bind with the component that binds to the host’s cells. When this occurs, the virus breaks down and cannot infect cells to replicate. This is how remdesivir from the current leading antiviral drug SARS-CoV-2 works.
However, this way of fighting viruses leaves room for improvement. As Professor Jonathan Dordick of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, corresponding author of the new study, notes: “[w]We are learning how to block the viral infection, and that is the knowledge that we will need if we want to face pandemics quickly. ”
“The reality is that we don’t have great antivirals. To protect ourselves against future pandemics, we will need an arsenal of approaches that we can quickly adapt to emerging viruses. “
– Prof. Jonathan Dordick
Research previously published by some of the authors of this study suggests that a possible source for an antiviral drug effective against SARS-CoV-2 is seaweed.
Heparin is a common anticoagulant that can be extracted from algae. The present study analyzed three variants of heparin and two related fucoidans, a substance that can be obtained from brown algae, to see how effective they would be as decoys for SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting.
The researchers applied the extracts to the mammalian cells and measured enough that each reduces the virus’s effectiveness by 50%.
The researchers found that one of the fucoidans and two of the heparin extracts required a significantly lower concentration than remdesivir to reduce sawThe effectiveness of rus at 50%.
Also, when used in high concentrations, a separate test found that none of the extracts showed cellular toxicity, meaning they are likely to be safe.
According to Professor Robert Linhardt, co-author of the research, his findings could help discover new techniques for administering the antiviral to patients with COVID-19.
“What interests us is a new way of contracting the infection,” said Professor Linhardt. “The current thinking is that COVID-19 infection starts in the nose, and any one of these substances could be the basis of a nasal spray. If I could treat the infection early, or even before I had the infection, I would have a way to block it before it enters the body. “
According to Professor Dordick, seaweed extracts can be used beyond COVID-19 and “could serve as the basis for an oral administration approach to address possible gastrointestinal infection.”
The study authors investigated the possibility of seaweed extract as a SARS-CoV-2 antiviral after studying the shape of the virus particles and how they work to deter a person’s normal antiviral defenses.
“It is a very complicated mechanism that we frankly don’t know all the details about, but we are getting more information,” said Professor Dordick. “One thing that became clear from this study is that the larger the molecule, the better it fits. The most successful compounds are the largest sulfated polysaccharides that offer more sites on the molecules to trap the virus. “
Although promising in theory, researchers need to corroborate the findings in living human cells to see if the extracts can form the basis of a new antiviral drug SARS-CoV-2.
