Friday Hope: Phenolic Foods: Inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Replication and its Cytokine Storm
Including some unsung heroes such as Coffee, Black Garlic and Cocoa
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
The above well-known quote from Hippocrates is as true today as it has ever been. I would like to spend this week’s Friday Hope reviewing a remarkable paper. I am surprised that this text is not more discussed as it identifies and confirms much of what many of us have independently discovered over the past three plus years.
The best place to start with the Spike Protein is to stop! Inhibiting the activity of this pathogenic protein is paramount. If the Spike cannot enter or engage with cells, it can do no harm. There are many phenolic compounds which either inhibit TMPRSS2 (a protein which cleaves the Spike), Furin (another protein which cleaves the Spike), ACE2 or the Spike itself. And I mean, there are MANY.
Mechanisms of action and inhibition of phenolic compounds against severe acute respiratory syndrome of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on its replication cycle and in the host’s immune response
TMPRSS2 inhibitor
Cryptotanshinone
Ellagic acid
Gallic acid
Kaempferol
Luteolin
Quercetin
ACE2 inhibitor
Afzelin
Apigenin
Baicalin
Biorobin
Caffeic acid
Catechin
Chlorogenic acid
Chrysin
Ellagic acid
Curcumin
Cyanidin
Delphinidin
Epigallocatechin
Epigallocatechin gallate
Ferulic acid
Galangin
Gallic acid
Hesperetin
Isoferulic acid
Kaempferol
Luteolin
Myricitrin
Naringenin
Nobiletin
Nympholide A
Pinocembrin
Quercetin
Rhoifolin
Rutin
Scutellarein
Taiwanhomoflavone A
Tangeretin
ε-Viniferin
Interact with Spike protein
Chrysin
Ellagic acid
Gallic acid
Hesperetin
Pinocembrin
Additionally, there are phenolic compounds which prevent the virus from replicating. Obviously, this also limits the amount of Spike an individual is exposed to during infection.
Mpro inhibitor
Cyanidin
Daidzein
Dieckol
Genistein
Mearnsitrin
Myricitrin
Psoralidin
Quercetin 3-O-β-D-glucoside
Rutin
Xanthoangelol E
RdRp inhibitor
Benzoic acid
Cyanidin
Daidzein
Ellagic acid
Gallic acid
Genistein
Kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside
Naringenin
Oleuropein
Quercetin
Quercetin 3-O-rutinoside
Resveratrol
Non-structural SARS-CoV-2 helicases inhibitor
Myrcetin
Scutellarein
The effect of Resveratrol on viral replication is nothing short of stunning.
Additionally, the co-incubation of cells with the SARS-CoV-2 and a concentration of 50 µM of resveratrol for one hour showed to cause a reduction by 64% in virus infection, indicating a possible blockage of the virus’s ability to enter host cells.
And yet, even with the results of this ONE natural compound alone, we are told that we need experimental gene therapies?
And Black Garlic extract can COMPLETELY inhibit the activity of the mPRO of SARS-CoV-2.
In this order of ideas, Nguyen et al. analyzed the capacity of 49 polyphenols present in pure black garlic extract to inhibit the protease activity of the Mpro enzyme. The obtained data revealed that this extract can inhibit completely the action of Mpro of SARS-CoV-2, presenting an IC50 value of 137 ± 10 µg/mL.
And coffee, which I drink a 10 cup pot of every day.
Additionally, it has also been reported that the consumption of beverages with a high content of phenolic compounds, like coffee, can be an excellent tool in the prevention and management of this infection. These evidences are not surprising since it is well-known that the consumption of 3 and 4 cups per day of coffee exert positive effects on neurological and immune systems. Therefore, the effects of 28 derivatives of caffeic acid on SARS-CoV-2 were already evaluated by docking (Table 2). All of them exhibited better docking scores than the antiviral nelfinavir, highlighting khainaoside C (−191.599 expressed in docking score against Mpro), 6-O-caffeoylarbutin (−171.541 expressed in docking score against Nsp15), khainaoside B (−150.44 expressed in docking score against fusion protein S2 subunit), khainaoside C (−166.448 expressed in docking score against S protein open state) and vitexfolin A (−158.443 expressed in docking score against S protein closed state). Moreover, other cinnamic acids, namely caffeic acid and ferulic acid, also revealed ability to link with the membrane protein of SARS-CoV-2, showing binding energies of −8.4 and −8.3 kcal/mol, respectively.
Consumption of Phenolic-Rich Food and Dietary Supplements as a Key Tool in SARS-CoV-19 Infection
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/9/2084
If you would like some uplifting reading for the weekend, I highly recommend the above referenced paper. I hope many readers share with me a profound love for and appreciation of these phenolic foods. Eat well, live well and love well this blessed weekend.
How many cook with herbs and spices?
Instead of packaged sauces
Whether rosemary or thyme
Garlic, cumin or cinnamon
Or fennel, basil, sage, turmeric or coriander
And anything else you might find in your spice rack or garden
Herbs and spices are so potent with phytochemicals and antioxidants you can literally taste them
Coupled with a decent amount of roughage
Fibre builds the habitat for the microorganisms in your gut
Without a reef you have no fish
Without the trees no animals
Roughage is essentially the building block of the ecosystem
And without the bacteria
You don't process these phytochemicals
Or absorb them nearly as well
Or produce a healthy quantity of neurotransmitters
It's sort of ironic, that the old wives tales of eating your veges
And adding a pinch of herbs and spice and everything nice
No bells and whistles
Just tried and true, old as time itself
Really can make a big difference to your health
Wow. Thank you Walter! Have a great weekend. May God bless you. Peace.