In the crosshairs of scientific research against Covid, there is quercetin. Molecule of natural origin present in various food products, which inhibits Sars-Cov-2. How? Because it would hinder the activity of an enzyme useful for the development and replication of the new virus.
In detail, according to an international study conducted by Bruno Rizzuti of the Cnr-Nanotec of Cosenza, quercetin, a flavonoid found in many foods, could have an effect on one of the key proteins (3CLpro) for viral replication.
It is a perfect pharmacological target, given that it is essential for its functioning and is not very variable: it changes very little in the various mutations of the virus.
Among 150 candidate molecules, in vitro tests have shown that quercetin is the most active, precisely because it binds to the active site of the protein, thus blocking it.
The study was published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, with the support of the Universities of Zaragoza and Madrid, but is still the result of computational simulations that need to be confirmed at a clinical level.
It can be said in some ways, an alternative "cure" to the various vaccines around the world still being tested. An interesting discovery, but which had as its first effect the rush to purchase products containing the molecule, in the hope that it could prevent, or even cure, the virus.
Quercetin is found in fruits, vegetables and greens, such as: apples, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, berries, as well as in red wine, green tea, red onions, radicchio and capers. Free of side effects and highly tolerated by humans, this molecule has a series of original and interesting properties from a pharmacological point of view: excellent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and antiallergic.
But there's more. According to the researchers, quercetin can be modified to develop an even more powerful synthetic molecule, thanks to its small size and chemical structure, capable of countering the virus.
Furthermore, given its easy availability and being a natural molecule (therefore it cannot be patented), new avenues would open up for the creation of specific antiviral drugs.
The idea of fighting a virus through the enzymes that allow it to replicate is not new, for example it is the same for HIV therapies – the virus responsible for AIDS – against which a vaccine has never been obtained. However, the development of powerful antiviral drugs that block the protease of the virus has made it possible to eliminate its mortality.
Some of these drugs have also been tested for SARS-CoV-2, but have not had the desired effect. Currently, mask and distancing remain the only effective weapons in the fight against Covid.
Despite the interesting discovery, doubts remain for the scientific community which is divided between supporters and skeptics. The former because lovers of nature and natural remedies hope for an alternative way to the vaccine, while those against it believe it is yet another publicity stunt.
Among these also the US authority Food and Drug Administration, which had to intervene and recall some sellers who had promoted their products as "inhibitors" of the virus.
In any case, care must be taken, precisely because the studies conducted so far are still preliminary, without any clinical trials. Although we are counting on the vaccine, the drugs will be necessary for all people already infected or for those who cannot be vaccinated due to previous pathologies. Just cross your fingers.
