Chula researchers have found that “rutin” extract from orange peel can kill the COVID-19 virus. They are developing it into drugs while pointing out that drug research is still necessary along with vaccine research and suggesting that Thai people should adjust their views on herbs to create added value.
Around the world, all hands are on deck against the clock to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccine research and antiviral drugs study. Several herbs have been mentioned as potentially viable. Chulalongkorn, as a leader in herbal research, has been in search of chemical compounds that are effective against COVID-19, and recently held the third seminar in the “CHULA the Impact” seminar series, entitled “Innovative Herbal Medicine Against COVID-19“. On the panel were, Dr. Kittikhun Wangkanon and Asst. Prof. Dr. Thanyada Rungrojmongkol of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siwaporn Boonyasuppayakorn of the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, to provide updates on the progress of Thai herbal research for the production of modern medicines to attack the viral protease and put an end to the pandemic. fah talai jone
Decoding Protease to Fight the Outbreak
Protease is one of the first protein-digesting enzymes of the coronavirus 2019 that received attention from Chinese scientists, followed by England, Germany, and the United States. Chula’s Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, is the first and only institution in Thailand capable of studying the structure of the synthesized COVID-19 protease at the molecular level.
“Our research team has been studying the COVID-19 virus at the molecular level. We put the protease crystals under an X-ray that allows us to see what they look like. We can see how the metaphorical “mouth and teeth” of the virus perform different functions, and how to use certain chemical structures to plug them up”, explained Dr. Kittikhun.
“Why protease research? Proteases are necessary for the life cycle of viruses, as they digest the proteins that the viruses built to function. Moreover, proteases rarely change their position in the viral structure even after mutation.”
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