New Delhi. Natural compounds from Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Propolis could be potential drug candidates against Covid-19. It is revealed in a collaborative study of DAILAB ( DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan.
DAILAB is a collaborative of Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan. In a press statement it is claimed that “The researchers targeted the main SARS-CoV-2’s enzyme for splitting proteins, known as the main protease or M-pro that plays a key role in mediating viral replication.
This is an attractive drug target for this virus, and as humans don’t naturally have this enzyme, compounds that target M-pro are likely to have low toxicity. They discovered that Withanone (Wi-N), a natural compound derived from Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE), an active ingredient of New Zealand propolis, have the potential to interact with and block the activity of M-pro.”
Be First to Comment