London: Scientists have identified a new drug that could prevent or mitigate the consequences derived from infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19.
Preliminary results of the study conducted on animal models showed that the drug 4-Phenylbutiric acid (4-PBA) fully curbs mortality caused by respiratory failure derived from cellular stress, showed the research published in the journal Cytokine and Growth Factors Review.
The inflammatory process identified in severe cases of coronavirus causes an uncontrolled and excessive release of cytokines — molecules in charge of organising the body’s defences- which could even trigger vascular hyperpermeability and multi-organ failure.
Controlling such cytokine “storm”, through those controlling them, that is, the infected cells, is precisely what these researchers proposed.
“When cells are stressed by infection, they call…