Study finds glucose-like metabolite effective against COVID-19

In human blood, Chinese researchers discovered a glucose-like molecule linked to diabetes that has antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Metabolism on Tuesday, headed by Tsinghua University academics.

COVID-19 severity and mortality are linked to pre-existing disorders including diabetes, according to previous research. The root causes, however, are yet unknown.

Researchers examined over 200 small-molecule metabolites in this new study and discovered that 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol (1,5-AG), which is lacking in diabetic patients, can prevent SARS-CoV-2 from entering cells.

They discovered that the level of SARS-CoV-2 replication is higher in the presence of serum from diabetic patients than in serum from healthy people, but that this can be mitigated by adding 1,5-AG to the patients’ serum.

According to molecular mechanism study, 1,5-AG inhibited the virus-cell membrane fusion process by binding to the S2 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Researchers discovered that diabetic mice infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus had considerably larger viral loads and more severe respiratory tissue damage than non-diabetic mice in trials conducted on mice. In diabetic mice, sustained 1,5-AG treatment lowered SARS-CoV-2 loads and illness severity to levels comparable to non-diabetic mice.

According to the study’s findings, 1,5-AG supplementation may assist diabetics avoid severe COVID-19.