SAO PAULO - Brazilian researchers, have recently found that a molecule in the venom of Bothrops jararacussu, a deadly Brazilian snake inhibited coronavirus multiplication in monkey cells. It has been a possible first step toward a drug to combat the virus causing COVID-19.
A study published in the Molecules scientific journal that the molecule produced by the jararacussu pit viper inhibited the virus's ability to replicate in monkey cells by 75%.
According to the study author, Rafael Guido, the molecule is a peptide, or chain of amino acids, that could connect to an enzyme of the coronavirus called PLPro, which has been vital for the reproduction of the virus without damaging the other cells.
Guido said in an interview that the molecule, already known for its antibacterial properties, could be prepared in the laboratory. It can make the capture or raising of the snakes unnecessary,
said Guido.
While worrying about the people who would go out to hunt the snake, Giuseppe Puorto, a herpetologist, Butantan Institute, Sao Paulo, told in an interview that it wasn't the venom itself that would cure the coronavirus.
The researchers hoped to test the substance in human cells but gave no timeline.