Friday Hope: TCM: Antrodia cinnamomea
This medicinal fungus may fight SARS-CoV-2 and its Spike Protein on two fronts
As readers if this Substack know, COVID and the Spike Protein are not only dangerous because of what they can do, but equally so because of the broad access the pathogen has to the body's organs. ACE2 is ubiquitous. Yet, one cannot simply "delete" ACE2 as its presence is vital in counteracting the negative effects of ACE. Therefore, attenuation of ACE2 must be done with great caution.
For example, the higher level of ACE2 expression in the obese may be major factor in obesity being a serious risk for severe COVID.
This study demonstrates that ACE2 gene expression is higher in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue than that in lung tissue, a major target tissue affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. This suggests a mechanism by which excess adiposity may drive greater infection severity in patients with COVID-19.
Association of high level gene expression of ACE2 in adipose tissue with mortality of COVID-19 infection in obese patients
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451847620301032
The same is true for cigarette smokers and those with COPD.
Smokers and individuals with COPD have increased airway expression of ACE-2, which is the entry receptor for the COVID-19 virus. This may explain the increased risk of severe COVID-19 in these subpopulations and highlight importance of smoking cessation.
ACE-2 Expression in the Small Airway Epithelia of Smokers and COPD Patients: Implications for COVID-19
https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2020/03/26/13993003.00688-2020
The same is true for those with heart failure, another serious risk factor.
And patients with basic heart failure disease showed increased ACE2 expression at both mRNA and protein levels, meaning that if infected by the virus these patients may have higher risk of heart attack and critically ill condition.
The ACE2 expression in human heart indicates new potential mechanism of heart injury among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32227090/
Therefore, it makes sense to deny access to the Spike Protein by limiting the number of entry points it may have. Logically, the fewer Spike Proteins that enter cells, the less damage they can do and the body should be more able to remove the ones that do.
It is for the above mentioned reasons that I find the TCM fungus A. cinnamomea a very promising COVID/Spike treatment. This fungus has a long history of medicinal uses.
A. cinnamomea and A. salmonea (Fomitopsidaceae) are endemic fungus of Taiwan, which are traditionally used as a health promoting supplement by the indigenous people. A. cinnamomea and A. salmonea were reported to possess various pharmacological activities, including anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-aging, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects. The broad-spectrum of pharmacological activities of A. cinnamomea and A. salmonea are characterized to be the result of a pool of various and unique bioactive compounds that include terpenoids, benzenoids, benzoquinone, succinic acid, and maleic acid derivatives, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, lignans, and steroids.
Yet, it also possesses another power.
Antcins reduced human ACE2 levels in HT-29 cells. HT-29 cells were incubated with the indicated concentration of antcins for 48 h. Cell lysates were subjected to determine ACE2 levels using a commercially available ELISA kit. Values represent the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. p-values of less than 0.01 **, and 0.001 *** were considered statistically significant for the antcins treatment group vs. the control group.
This is, indeed, good news. A. cinnamomea does not completely inhibit expression of ACE2. It reduces it. Therefore, it should be trialed in those who are more at risk from COVID. It may be the case that A. cinnamomea can be used to put ACE2 expression into a "safe zone" for these at-risk individuals.
The total levels of both cytoplasmic and membrane-bound ACE2 were determined by a commercially available ELISA kit. We found that all the treated antcins, except antcin-M, exhibited significant inhibition on ACE2 activity. Indeed, antcin-A, antcin-B, antcin-C, and antcin-I strongly reduced human ACE2 levels in HT-29 cells from 11.23 ng/mL (control) to 4.39 ng/mL, 4.22 ng/mL, and 4.19 ng/mL, respectively, while a moderate reduction was observed in antcin-H treated cells (5.91 ng/mL).
Antcins from Antrodia cinnamomea and Antrodia salmonea Inhibit Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) in Epithelial Cells: Can Be Potential Candidates for the Development of SARS-CoV-2 Prophylactic Agents
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8399673/
There is an additional benefit from A. cinnamomea. It also interferes with the interaction of the Spike Protein and ACE2.
The recent findings from our functional and mechanistic experiments conducted in cell and hamster models reveal a novel discovery: A. cinnamomea is beneficial in the context of COVID-19. It interferes with the interaction between ACE2 and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, effectively reducing lung inflammation associated with COVID-19.
I will let the paper I am quoting conclude this post.
A. cinnamomea can potentially serve as a functional food or nutritional supplement in the future. Such utilization could enhance the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and reduce the risk of severe disease among patients.
Antrodia cinnamomea May Interfere with the Interaction Between ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in vitro and Reduces Lung Inflammation in a Hamster Model of COVID-19
https://www.dovepress.com/antrodia-cinnamomea-may-interfere-with-the-interaction-between-ace2-an-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JIR
I wish all a wonderful weekend! As always, thank you for your support. There is always so much to learn, and nothing fascinates me more than learning and sharing that knowledge to, hopefully, help heal and protect all of us.
Don’t smoke. Exercise 30 min a day (even a brisk walk). Eat in moderation.
So what is wrong with just taking ivermectin? It works. You can’t overdose on it. It’s one of safest and most effective medicines in the world. I don’t get it - a medicinal fungus?