Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: Space99 on 26/04/2020 17:46:38
-
With regards to the Pandemic and Covid-19, would it be possible to try the following. My apologies at first, as Im autistic/ Aspergers so I see problems differently and probably wrong to.
I know that washing with soap, we are told dissolves the Virus Membrane. Is it not possible that the bodies own internal soap system, ie Fat dissolvers work to inactivate the Virus Envelope? In the form of 'Bile Salt Acids' From what I read, the Bile salts dissolve the Virus envelope, the same way it does gallstones.
I was looking at some info on the net, and found just one example..
Virologists have known for almost 75 years that some viruses (conventional enveloped viruses such as the togaviruses) are readily inactivated by bile salts, whereas others (non-enveloped viruses such as poliovirus) are not [29].
I know I'm no expert but I have always wanted to do Virology type work when I left School. Unfortunately I never got do it, due to my autism hindering my grades too much. Despite this, I still like to self learn from the Net when i can as I find it fascinating. I just wondered if any further research on Bile Salts has gained any further results.
Much thanks!
-
I know that washing with soap, we are told dissolves the Virus Membrane.
I didn't know that. Did some quick research on it. It really is quite interesting. Thanks for that bit of information.
I had assumed soap just helped rinse it away from your hands, I really suck at biology...
-
It's quite likely that the bile salts would destroy the virus.
However, they are not in the right place, they are in the gut, not the lungs.
Also, they would probably damage lung cells just as much as they damage the virus.
It is extremely difficult to find things that do more harm to viruses than they do to the body.
-
The virus ‘membrane’ of enveloped viruses is a lipid (like fat) which is why soap, ethanol etc attack it.
Although bile salts might be in the wrong place there are suggestions that other molecules might work eg https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32229155.
I haven’t read this yet so can’t vouch for the conclusions. Don’t know if @chris has a view?
-
I believe this is why the virus does not appear to be food-borne.
Though actually, I would say that the membrane is the virus's strongest link. My understanding is that the membrane is what helps it live for so long outside of an organism. Once the membrane is disrupted (by soap or organic solvent or corrosive agent), then the virus is without its armor, and quickly succumbs to the environment.
I suspect that the key to defeating this bug is going to be finding a way to block/slow down its mechanism of hijacking cells. It appears that the ACE2 receptors are the "back door" that the virus uses to get in, and that variations of this (genetic and/or epigenetic) may be responsible for the extreme difference in outcomes between individuals—according to what I have read over the last few weeks, it looks like 50+% of people are asymptomatic, and about 10% have extreme reactions including organ failure (lung, kidney, blood, etc.)
https://www.cell.com/pb-assets/products/coronavirus/CELL_CELL-D-20-00739.pdf
Fortunately, ACE2 is very well-studied, and there are already multiple drugs that act on it. in some way or another. Unfortunately, ACE2 is also not something to be tinkered with lightly. Preventing viral replication is good, but not at the expense of a heart attack or stroke or other significant cardiovascular issues...
https://www.medicinenet.com/ace_inhibitors/article.htm#what_are_the_side_effects_and_adverse_event_of_ace_inhibitors