The United Kingdom: Hydroxychloroquine, anti-malaria drugs controversially are mentioned as covid drugs despite lack of strong evidence, creating new interests as potential treatment for Omicron.
The discussion was triggered by a new study from the University of Glasgow, which has not been published in a scientific journal, which sees how antibodies from vaccines are blocking Omicron from entering the cell.
The researchers concluded, as many people owned, the antibodies (proteins that neutralized the virus) against the previous variants or induced by vaccines was less effective against Omicron.
Interestingly, however, is that research found that Omicron might have changed the way to enter the cell.
SARS-COV-2, a virus that causes covid, coated with lipid bilayers (thin membranes made of two layers) like our cells.
When the virus enters our cells, bilayers fuse like oil droplets on the surface of the water, called “fusion membranes”.
Membrane fusion occurs after the SARS-COV-2 surge protein has been attached to ACE2 receptors on the cell surface, but can occur in two different places (see the diagram below).
Membrane fusion can occur on the cell surface, or can occur after the SARS-COV-2 virus has been swallowed up in the endosome.
Two ways Coronavirus enters Endosome driven you when the cell membrane folds back on himself, creating the outer material bubble in the cell to take nutrition.
Usually the cell will then sort the material and maintain useful nutrients while throwing away the others.
However, many viruses exploit endosomes as a way to enter cells.
This means that SARS-COV-2 has two ways to enter the cell: from the surface or through endosome.
The Glasgow University study shows that Omicron has taken mutations that increase their ability to enter our cells through endosomes – and this is the place where Hydroxychloroquine has a role.
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a drug that accumulates endosomes and reduces their acidity, which interferes with its function.
Make endosomes less acid reduces membrane fusion, thereby reducing the capabilities of SARS-COV-2 to enter the cell.
So HCQ can act as an antivirus.
This might be how HCQ acts as an anti-malaria and anti-inflammatory drug (although some researchers deny this).
It is important to note that new studies do not test HCQ effects on Omicron.
Hydroxychloroquine has a difficult HCQ pandemic has become famous during a pandemic.
The first study claimed HCQ was effective against Covid criticized by Science Fraud experts Elisabeth Bik, which questioned ethics, schedules for trials, lack of randomization for patients and lost data.
Didier Raoult, the lead author of work, then filed a criminal complaint against BIK for moral harassment, extortion and extortion.
So far, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, promoted HCQ – I assumed to support the French fellow, while the use of drugs was also supported by Donald Trump, for reasons it was only clear to Donald Trump.
Strangely, a study published in Lancet suggested that HCQ treatment actually increased death, although this latest study has been accused of data fraud.
Throughout all this, other researchers failed to find positive benefits for HCQ, or a strong indication for side effects.
HCQ has so far become the worst example of knowledge.
But will Hydroxychloroquine effective against Omicron? I struggled to see the benefits of treating omicron infection with HCQ.
At the University of Glasgow Study, the researchers showed that Omicron entered the cell through endosomes more than other variants, but they did not show that Omicron was limited to using endosomes.
It can still enter from the cell surface.
Using HCQ to stop omicrons that enter through endosomes therefore will only limit the virus from entering the cell.
To indicate that HCQ is effective against Omicron, scientists need to infect cells with Omicron in the presence and absence of HCQ and show significant reduction in infectivity.
If this shows that HCQ is effective against Omicron, it makes sense to test HCQ in clinical trials.
However, unlike March 2020 when HCQ was first proposed as a treatment, we had many drugs to treat covids including antiviruses, such as molnupiravir and remdesivir, anti-inflammatory, such as dexamethasone, and antibody therapy.