LONDON: Researchers have identified the potential for new drug care that suppressed the reproduction of the SARS-COV-2 virus, which caused Covid-19, in infected cells.
To multiply, all viruses infect cells and reprogram them to produce new viruses, the researchers said.
This study, published recently in the Journal of Metabolites, shows that the cells infected with SARS-COV-2 can only produce new coronavirus when the metabolic path called Pentose Phosphate Pathway is activated.
Researchers from Kent University in England and Goethe-University in Germany found that Benfooxythiamine drugs, inhibiting this metabolic path, reproduction is pressed from SARS-COV-2, and infected cells do not produce coronavirus.
“This is a breakthrough in Covid-19 treatment research,” said Professor Martin Michaelis from Kent University.
“Because the development of resistance is a big problem in the treatment of viral diseases, having therapies that use different targets is very important and provide further expectations to develop the most effective care for Covid-19,” Michaelis said.
The researchers found that Benfooxythiamine also increased the activity of ‘2-deoxy-d-glucose’ antivirus, other drugs that modified host cell metabolism to reduce viral doubling.
This shows that the phosphate pentose path inhibitors such as benfooxythiamine are potential new care options for Covid-19, both with their own and in combination with other treatments, they said.
The researchers noted that the antivirus mechanism of this drug was different from the potential of other Covid-19 drugs such as remedy and Molnupiravir.
They noted that viruses that resistant to this drug are possible, therefore, sensitive to benfooxythiamin.
“Targeting changes in viruses in the metabolism of host cells is an interesting way to interfere specifically with the process of replication of the virus,” Professor Jindrich Cinatl from Goethe-University added.