A new study published in a scientific journal Molecules says that the venom of a snake plays a key role to kill Covid-19. The Brazilian snake is a very dangerous and highly venomous one but the new finding says that its venom can be used as a tool to fight against the global pandemic, Covid-19.
Researchers have found that a molecule in the venom of a type of snake inhibited coronavirus reproduction in monkey cells by 75%. They arrived at the figure by conducting various tests on monkeys. This finding gives the world an expectation of a new drug that can fight against Covid-19.
Rafael Guido, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo said “the peptide which is already known for its antibacterial qualities, can be synthesized in the laboratory. We were able to show this component of snake venom was able to inhibit a very important protein from the virus.”
One of the reptile study specialists said that he worries people will go out looking for the deadly viper and might hunt them after hearing about the news of making it as a drug to fight the virus.
Researchers will next evaluate the efficiency of different doses of the molecule and whether it is able to prevent the virus from entering cells in the first place, according to a statement from the State University of Sao Paulo (Unesp), which was also involved in the research.
They hope to test the substance in human cells but gave no timeline.
