Nitric Oxide a Possible Treatment for COVID-19 – Only Substance to Have a Direct Effect on SARS-CoV-2

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Researchers discovered that nitric oxide (NO), a naturally produced compound with antiviral properties, effectively treats both the 2003 SARS virus and the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers at Uppsala University have found that an effective way of treating the coronavirus behind the 2003 SARS epidemic also works on the closely related SARS-CoV-2 virus, the culprit in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The substance concerned is nitric oxide (NO), a compound with antiviral properties that is produced by the body itself. The study is published in the journal Redox Biology.

“To our knowledge, nitric oxide is the only substance shown so far to have a direct effect on SARS-CoV-2,” says Åke Lundkvist, a professor at Uppsala University, who led the study.

Since there is still no effective cure for COVID-19, the main emphasis in the treatments tested has been on relieving symptoms. This can shorten hospital stays and reduce mortality. To date, however, it has not been possible to prove that any of these treatments has affected the actual virus behind the infection.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a compound produced naturally in the body. Its functions include acting like a hormone in controlling various organs. It regulates, for example, tension in the blood vessels and blood flow between and within organs. In acute lung failure, NO can be administered as inhaled gas, in low concentrations, to boost the blood-oxygen saturation level. During the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus epidemic of 2003, this therapy was tried out with success. One key reason for the successful results was that inflammation in the patients’ lungs decreased. This property of nitric oxide — the protection it affords against infections, by being both antibacterial and antiviral — is the very one that now interests the researchers.

Their study builds further on a discovery about the coronavirus that caused the first SARS epidemic. In 2003, NO released from S-Nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) proved to have a distinct antiviral effect. The researchers from Uppsala University and Karolinska Institute have now investigated how the novel coronavirus involved in the current pandemic, SARS CoV-2, reacts to the compound. And SNAP was shown to a clear antiviral effect on this virus, too — and an effect that grew stronger as the dose was raised.

“Until we get a vaccine that works, our hope is that inhalation of NO might be an effective form of treatment. The dosage and timing of starting treatment probably play an important part in the outcome, and now need to be explored as soon as possible,” Åke Lundkvist says.

The research group are now planning to proceed by investigating the antiviral effects of NO emitted in gas form. To do so, they will construct a model in the laboratory in order to safely simulate a conceivable form of therapy for patients.

Reference: “Mitigation of the replication of SARS-CoV-2 by nitric oxide in vitro” by Dario Akaberi, Janina Krambrich, Jiaxin Ling, Chen Luni, Göran Hedenstierna, Josef D. Järhult, Johan Lennerstrand and Åke Lundkvist, 2 October 2020, Redox Biology.
DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2020.101734

16 Comments on "Nitric Oxide a Possible Treatment for COVID-19 – Only Substance to Have a Direct Effect on SARS-CoV-2"

  1. I wonder if l-arginine or AAKG supplements would help.

    • Some amount of NO will be released in the body by nose breathing, humming and eating dark green vegetables, beet root and chokeberries. Also moderate exercise produces nitric oxide. Studies on l-arginine supplementation are controversial.

  2. DT wont like this, no chlore in it.

  3. Of course sulfuric acid or dinitrogen pentoxide would do a number on the SARS-Covid-2 wouldn’t it?

  4. If I remember correctly, there is a certain classification of drugs which are widely available, inexpensive and mostly covered by insurance that help in Nitric Oxide production. Would those have an effect or does it have to be breathed in?

  5. Do your exercise people and stop eating all that junk food. I’m sick of restrictions due to all you unhealthy Mofos.

  6. Viagra should work to then

  7. Time release arginine watermelon

  8. Zorba Batheros | October 2, 2020 at 5:55 pm | Reply

    Combined L-citrulline and glutathione supplementation increases the concentration of markers indicative of nitric oxide synthesis
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4472409/

  9. So my daily dose Cialis should provide some NO boost

  10. Sekar Vedaraman | October 3, 2020 at 3:53 pm | Reply

    Even deadly Snake venom 9s useful in medicine.

    If I remember my Chemistry , Nitric acid is Poisoonous.
    If we can have the Nano Bots carry minute quantities directly to the Covid 19 virus we may be able to fix the disease?

  11. Sekar Vedaraman | October 3, 2020 at 4:06 pm | Reply

    Another Thought.

    In Homepathic medicine minute highly diluted quantities of medicineto cure patients of various known illnesses.

    Maybe this Knowledge needs to be explored further.

    In fact while at it , it may be a good idea to also digitize all streams of ancient medicinal and herbal knowledge and make it available freely to humanity. Ofcourse , the same should be scientifically understood.

    There is no reason that the medical knowledge and case histories of past patients and other such database already available in the Watson Supercomputer cannot be made available to the Human Brain Network , so some brain somewhere comes up with the cure for this and future pandemics which may be visited on us. With the advent of quantum computing breakthroughs this shouldd be very much pssible.

  12. Sekar Vedaraman | October 4, 2020 at 5:32 pm | Reply

    Nitric oxide causes a few side effects, and these side effects of may include noisy breathing, blood in the urine, low blood pressure (hypotension), or possibly a collapsed lung.

    Covid 19 will do that quite well all on its own.

    If it eliminates and neutralizes Covid 19 finding ways to deliver it efficiently and effectively to the infection site is probably a good bet.

    Anyway we will need such technologies for taking out just the 3000 plus Viruses sitting in the Bat Ecosystem. Forget about dangerous viruses in other ecosystems which may cause future pandemics.I always wondered about why some foods are forbidden by many different communities.

    The fact that Nitric Oxide creation in older population is lower also fits in with the lack of immunity in the elderly population to fight off the infection.

    Most of the food and diet in Indian Subcontinent practisewd by the population to increase immunity like curcumin and ginger and other foods consumed from ancient times increases Nitric Oxide and heps blood circulation, which enables the bodies existing immune system to fight off the Virus. Probably the reason the number of deaths is lower compared to other nations. These food habits are being practised blindly without understanding the Science behind it. Still the deaths still take place and technology to deliver such neutralizing agents is effectively and efficiently is critical for fighting off such future pandemics.

    Excess Nitric Oxide can affect all the organs of the body just like Covid 19 can. So it is no wonder that it neutralizes the Covid 19 Virus.

  13. I offer this speculation on the Horseshoe Bat, which carries a coronavirus with 96% of the genome that Sars-CoV-2 has. The Bat is able to carry the virus, and as soon as the virus starts to attack the bat’s cells the super fast immune system of the bat attacks the virus and negates it’s attempt to attack the bat’s cells. I am not sure what the actual process of the bat’s defense system, but the fact remains that the bat’s body is very rich in it’s content of Melatonin. When I found out that Melatonin plays a part in the bat’s system I looked up the uses of Melatonim besides it’s resetting the circadian rhythm in humans. It is a hormone in humans, and it is found in scant amounts in older humans, but in younger people it is plentiful. Different research has been done, by numerous agencies, including https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, that has proved that the hormone is useful in preventing the often accompanying cytokine storm in covid-19 (mass inflammation in the lungs and other organs). Seeing as this immune system runaway is one of the most common reasons for death in covid-19 patients, I am surprised that the hormone, which, like Nitric Oxide, is found naturally in the body, and yet has not been given credit for it’s good results in testing, as a treatment in increasing survival in patients with covid-19. I am also curious if the Horseshoe Bat’s immune system is using the prevalent melatonin that the bat already carries in it’s body as part of it’s immune system nulifying the Sars-CoV-2 virus in it’s body. Please add to this discussion if you have knowledge of this phenonemon in the horseshoe bat. Thanks.

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