Dec. 6, 2021 — A kind of marine algae often called ulva, or “sea lettuce,” that’s a weight-reduction plan staple in locations like Japan, New Zealand, and Hawaii might have one other profit for folks. Lab experiments counsel that ulvan, an extract from any such algae, might assist struggle COVID-19.
Different types of edible seaweed have additionally proven promise as antivirals towards COVID — at the least in very early research executed in check tubes and animals. However ulvan has been examined as an antiviral therapy towards sure agricultural and human viruses, too. This induced researchers to wonder if ulvan may assist forestall COVID infections.
To search out out, scientists grew ulva algae in a lab, extracted ulvan, after which uncovered cells in check tubes to each the coronavirus and to ulvan. When cells had been uncovered to ulvan, they didn’t get contaminated with the coronavirus, in keeping with experiment outcomes reported inPeerJ.
In Check Tubes
That stated, it’s potential that the method used to extract ulvan from seaweed might affect its antiviral properties. Investigators in contrast two extraction strategies and located one in every of them resulted in ulvan with greater than 10 instances the virus-fighting energy. This means that extra analysis is required to refine the perfect methodology to develop ulvan with the perfect antiviral properties, the researchers level out.
One restrict of the experiment is that variations within the chemical makeup of the 2 extracts may need influenced the end result, making it arduous to know for certain how a lot of the antiviral exercise may come immediately from ulvan versus these chemical compounds.
And even when the seaweed extract proves efficient in additional lab checks, it could nonetheless must be examined in animals and people. However ought to it show efficient in human trials, seaweed extract has the potential to assist forestall COVID an infection in individuals who can’t simply afford or entry vaccines, notably in low-income nations, the examine authors conclude.
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