Chemicals found in broccoli to fight COVID-19 and common cold viruses

In a study published March 18, 2022, scientists showed that sulforaphane, a phytochemical that has been found to have anticancer effects, also inhibits SARS-CoV, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 -2 copies
.

While the findings are promising, the researchers caution the public against rushing to buy sulforaphane supplements, noting the need to study the effects of sulforaphane on the human body before the chemical is proven effective, and stressing that the Supplements now lack regulation
.

Natural precursors of sulforaphane are especially abundant in cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts
.
Decades ago, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists first identified natural sulforaphane as a "chemopreventive" compound derived from common food sources such as cauliflower seeds, sprouts and mature plants, as well as from Sprouts or seeds out of the drink
.
Previous research, including that of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has shown that sulforaphane has cancer and infection-preventing properties by interfering with certain cellular processes
.

"When the COVID-19 pandemic began, our multidisciplinary research team shifted its investigation of other viruses and bacteria to focus on a potential treatment for a new virus that was challenging for us," said Child Center microbiologist Lori Jones-Brando, PhD, is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and corresponding author of the paper
.

"I was screening multiple compounds for anti-coronavirus activity and decided to try sulforaphane because it showed modest activity against other microbial agents we studied
.
" The researchers used in their experiments data from a commercial chemical supplier Purified synthetic sulforaphane purchased there
.

In one experiment, the team first exposed cells to sulforaphane for 1 to 2 hours, then infected the cells with SARS-CoV-2 and the common cold coronavirus HCoV-OC43
.
They found that low concentrations of sulforaphane (2.
4-31 μM) reduced the replication rate of six SARS-CoV-2 strains by 50%, including the Delta and Ommicron variants, and the HCoV-OC43 coronavirus
.
The researchers also observed similar results in cells previously infected with the virus, where the protective effect of sulforaphane was seen even in cells that had already been infected with the virus
.

The team also looked at the effects of sulforaphane in combination with remdesivir
.
Remdesivir is an antiviral drug used to shorten recovery time in adults hospitalized with COVID-19
.
In their study, remdesivir inhibited the replication of HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 by 50% at 22 μM and 4 μM, respectively
.
In addition, the team reported that sulforaphane and remdesivir acted synergistically in several combination ratios to reduce viral burden by 50% in cells infected with HCoV-OC43 or SARS-CoV-2
.
In this context, synergy means that low doses of sulforaphane (eg, 1.
6-3.
2 μM) in combination with remdesivir (eg, 0.
5-3.
2 μM) are more effective on the virus than either alone.
are more effective
.

"Historically, we've learned that in a treatment regimen, a combination of compounds is an ideal strategy for treating viral infections," said Alvaro Ordonez, MD, "In fact, the combination of sulforaphane and remdesivir is It works better than it alone, which is very encouraging
.
"

The researchers then conducted the study on a mouse model infected with SARS-CoV-2
.
They found that injecting mice with 30 mg of sulforaphane per kilogram of body weight prior to infection with the virus significantly reduced the weight loss typically associated with viral infection (a 7.
5 percent reduction)
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In addition, pretreatment resulted in a statistically significant reduction in both viral load or virus numbers in the lungs and upper respiratory tract (17% reduction) and lung injury (29% reduction) compared to infected mice not given sulforaphane
.
The compound also reduces inflammation in the lungs and protects cells from an overactive immune response, which appears to be one of the drivers of many deaths from COVID-19
.

"We found that sulforaphane is an antiviral drug against the HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses, while also helping to control the immune response
.
This multifunctional action makes it an interesting compound to use against the These viral infections, as well as infections caused by other human coronaviruses
.
"

The team plans to conduct studies in humans to assess whether sulforaphane can be effective in preventing or treating these infections
.

“Despite the introduction of vaccines and other drugs that may have side effects, effective antiviral drugs remain necessary to prevent and treat COVID-19, especially given the potential impact of novel coronavirus variants emerging in the population
.
Sulforaphane could be a promising treatment that is cheaper, safer, and readily available commercially
.
"

references:

“Sulforaphane exhibits antiviral activity against pandemic SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal HCoV-OC43 coronaviruses in vitro and in mice” by Alvaro A.
Ordonez, C.
Korin Bullen, Andres F.
Villabona-Rueda, Elizabeth A.
Thompson, Mitchell L.
Turner, Vanessa F.
Merino, Yu Yan, John Kim, Stephanie L.
Davis, Oliver Komm, Jonathan D.
Powell, Franco R.
D'Alessio, Robert H.
Yolken, Sanjay K.
Jain and Lorraine Jones-Brando, 18 March 2022,  Communications Biology .

DOI: 10.