Pleiotropic effect of Lactoferrin in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection: in vivo, in silico and in vitro preliminary evidences
The current treatments against SARS-CoV-2 have proved so far inadequate. A potent antiviral drug is yet to be discovered. Lactoferrin, a multifunctional glycoprotein, secreted by exocrine glands and neutrophils, possesses an antiviral activity extendable to SARS-Cov-2.
We performed a randomized, prospective, interventional study assessing the role of oral and intra-nasal lactoferrin to treat mild-to-moderate and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to prevent disease evolution. Lactoferrin induced an early viral clearance and a fast clinical symptoms recovery in addition to a statistically significant reduction of D-Dimer, Interleukin-6 and ferritin blood levels. The antiviral activity of lactoferrin related to its binding to SARS-CoV-2 and cells and protein-protein docking methods, provided the direct recognition between lactoferrin and spike S, thus hindering the spike S attachment to the human ACE2 receptor and consequently virus entering into the cells.
Lactoferrin can be used as a safe and efficacious natural agent to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection.
Read more : https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.11.244996v1
More informations:
https://scienzaonline.com/scienceonline-news/item/2661-immunoprotein-impairs-sars-cov-2.html
https://scienzaonline.com/scienceonline-news/item/2661-immunoprotein-impairs-sars-cov-2.html
https://scienzaonline.com/medicina/item/2657-nox2-identificato-il-bersaglio-del-covid-19.html