Rome, March 24 (beraking latest news Salute) – A drug has been discovered capable of trapping the Sars-CoV-2 virus in infected cells, preventing it from exiting and multiplying. It is called Indole-3 Carbinol (I3C) and is a natural compound that could be used as an antiviral against Covid-19.
Thanks to an international study published in the journal ‘Cell Death & Disease’ (Nature) and coordinated by Giuseppe Novelli (University of Rome Tor Vergata – University of Nevada, USA) and Pier Paolo Pandolfi (University of Turin – University of Nevada, USA) , in collaboration with Bambino Gesù Hospital (Rome), Spallanzani Institute (Rome), San Raffaele University (Rome) and various US Institutions (Harvard, Yale, Rockefeller, Nih, Mount Sinai, Boston University), Canadian (University of Toronto) and French (Inserm Paris, Hôpital Avicenne), a class of enzymes (E3-ubiquitin ligase) necessary for the Sars-CoV-2 virus to escape from infected cells and spread to all tissues of the organism has been identified. These same proteins also perform a similar action for other viruses such as Ebola.
Researchers have shown that the levels of these enzymes are elevated in patients’ lungs and other tissues infected with the virus. The study also identified rare genetic alterations in the genes coding for these proteins in a subgroup of patients (about 1,300) with severe disease selected by the cohorts of the international consortia (Covid human genetic effort, French Covid cohort study group, CoV-contact cohort , and Healthy Nevada project). These alterations increase the activity of enzymes and favor the exit of the infecting virus. The team showed that the activity of these enzymes can be inhibited by I3C, which has been shown to block, in vitro, the exit and multiplication of the virus from infected cells.
According to the researchers, I3C could be quickly approved as it is already used for other treatments, once efficacy on Covid-19 patients is demonstrated. The study, co-financed by the Rome Foundation – reads a note – contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern the life cycle of Sars-CoV-2, paving the way for the identification of host-pathogen relationships, necessary for the identification and the development of new drugs capable of interfering with viral replication, blocking its transmission.
“Having treatment options, particularly for patients who cannot be vaccinated, is of paramount importance to save more and more lives and contribute to better public health status and management,” Novelli emphasizes. “We have to think long term – says Pandolfi – Vaccines, although very effective, may no longer be effective in the future, because the virus changes, and therefore it is necessary to have more weapons to fight it. The discovery on I3C is important and now we must start clinical trials to demonstrate its potential effectiveness. It will be important to assess whether I3C can also reduce the very serious clinical complications that many patients experience after passing the acute phase of the infection “.