-Thota Kanishka Rao, Amity University Kolkata
Researchers have discovered that a drug, Catalase, might be the solution to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Catalase is a naturally occurring enzyme having the potential as a therapeutic drug treat COVID-19 symptom and suppress the replication of the virus inside the body.
Catalase is produced naturally and employed by humans, animals and plants. Inside cells, the antioxidant enzyme catalyst launches the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide, which can be poisonous, into water and oxygen. The catalyst is likewise normally utilised worldwide in food production and as a dietary enhancement.
Three types of tests, addressing different symptoms of COVID-19 were conducted. To begin with, they exhibited the enzymes anti-inflammatory impacts and its capacity to direct the creation of cytokines, a protein produced in white blood cells. Cytokines are a significant aspect of the human immune system, yet they can likewise signal the immune system to attack the body’s cells if too many are produced—a supposed ‘cytokine storm’ that is accounted for in certain patients determined to have COVID-19.
Secondly, the team indicated that catalase can secure alveolar cells, which line the human lungs, from damage because of oxidation. Finally, the tests indicated that catalase can subdue the replication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in rhesus macaques, a type of monkey, without observable harmfulness.
This research has far-reaching implications beyond the treatment of COVID-19. Cytokine storm may be a lethal condition which will complicate other infections, like influenza, still as non-infectious conditions, like an autoimmune disease.
Also read: Efficacy of the two PCR kits for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid Detection
Source:
Meng Qin et al, An Antioxidant Enzyme Therapeutic for COVID‐19, Advanced Materials (2020). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202004901
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