Substance In Green Veggies Could Prevent COVID-19 Spread In Body, Says Study

Sulforaphane -- a planet derived chemical that¡¯s known to have anti-cancer effects was also found to stop the replication of SARS CoV-2 in cells and mice.

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The compound is a natural precursor abundantly found in green leafy vegetables as well as broccoli, cabbage etc. To study its effectiveness against the novel coronavirus, they exposed the cells to sulforaphane for one to two hours before infecting the cells with SARS CoV-2, along with the common cold coronavirus HCoV-OC43.

Researchers found micromolar concentrations of sulforaphane was helpful in reducing replication of six strains of the novel coronavirus as well as the common cold coronavirus by a good 50 percent.

They also tested sulforaphane when fused with antiviral medication remdesivir where they found remdesivir inhibited 50 percent of replication of both common cold coronavirus and the novel coronavirus at 22 ?M and 4 ?M, respectively.

Researchers also saw both remdesivir and sulforaphane interacted with synergy, indicating that even with low dosage they were strong and effective against the coronaviruses compared to the application of just one of the two.

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Alvaro Ordonez, M.D., the first author of the paper and an assistant professor of paediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine explains, "What we found is that sulforaphane is antiviral against HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses while also helping control the immune response. This multifunctional activity makes it an interesting compound to use against these viral infections, as well as those caused by other human coronaviruses."

Lori Jones-Brando, PhD, an assistant professor of paediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the senior author of the paper added, "Despite the introduction of vaccines and other medications that can have side effects, effective antiviral agents are still necessary to prevent and treat COVID-19, particularly considering the potential effects of new coronavirus variants arising in the population. Sulforaphane could be a promising treatment that is less expensive, safe and readily available commercially."

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