Scientists have now developed an experimental influenza drug, which also contains a substance found in chocolate, and which has been shown more effectively than existing influenza treatments.
Photo chocolate: Frepik
The research, carried out in the new level 3 biosecurity facility, Barry Skolnick, in Israel, tested the theobromine combination and a lesser -known compound against a wide range of influenza viruses. In both laboratory and animal tests, treatment has been shown to be more effective than existing antivirals, such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu), even when tested against the most dangerous influenza stems, including avian and swine flu, writes News.
Theobromine is a naturally found stimulant in the cocoa plant, and its name comes from Greek and means “The food of the gods”.
The combination of theobromine with arabic, a synthetic compound that prevents cells from repairing, aims at proteins on the virus that operate as channels for ion transport to and from the cell.
In the absence of these functional channels, the virus cannot survive.
Existing drugs generally target a viral protein that undergo frequent mutations, which causes treatments to lose their effectiveness, the researchers explained.
“We do not offer just a better flu-print medicine, but we propose a new way to attack the viruses, which could help us to prepare for future pandemic.” said the study coordinator, Isaiah Arkin from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
As many viruses, including coronaviruses, also depend on ion channels, this approach could become the basis of future antiviral strategies, researchers added.
The combination was discovered by a selection process in a library of reused compounds, many of them initially intended for other diseases, tested on sensitive and drug-resistant flu stems.
The next stage involves clinical testing on human subjects, but these preliminary results offer a promising perspective not only for the development of a more effective weather treatment, but also for identifying more ingenious solutions in the fight against viral diseases.
