Could willow bark be the key to fighting flu, colds and coronavirus?

inside cortex of willow, humans have found solutions to some health problems.In the time of greek doctors Hippocratesit is recommended to chew to reduce fever and inflammation. Today, it is still used to treat conditions such as low back pain and osteoarthritis, Headache and inflammation, such as tendonitis.

Scientist from Finland They have now proven Excerpted from willow bark Has broad-spectrum antiviral effects In cell sample experiments.This substance is Different types of enveloped coronaviruses that can cause illnesses ranging from colds to COVID-19 illnessand non-enveloped enteroviruses, which cause infections such as influenza and influenza meningitis.

In this way, the experts analyzed whether this substance could synergistically control such pathogens and, as the research team led by the scientist estimates, in addition to changing the rules of the game in the future. Valp Machomaki.

“We need effective, broad-spectrum tools to combat the viral load in everyday life,” says Professor Marjomäki, who works at the institute. University of Jyväskylä is the author of the study Frontiers in Microbiology. “Vaccines are important, but they don’t respond to many emerging serotypes early enough to work alone,” he argued.

The research team had previously tested willow bark extract with enteroviruses and found it to be highly effective. In this new study, They expanded their research to examine other types of viruses and tried to understand how the extract worked.

To prepare the extract, they collected commercially grown willow branches. The bark is cut into slices, frozen, crushed and extracted with hot water. This is how scientists obtain extract samples and analyze them for enteroviruses (enterovirus strains). Coxsackie virus Type A and B coronaviruses, including seasonal coronaviruses and other coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2.

The scientists used cytopathic effect inhibition assays to see how long it took the extract to act on infected cells and how well it inhibited viral activity. The extract does not damage cells and effectively protects them from infection.

Binding analysis of samples of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 further showed that although the virus can enter cells even when treated with extracts, it is unable to reproduce once inside.

The authors previously found that the extract was effective against enteroviruses. This means that it works against two structurally different viruses (enveloped and non-enveloped viruses). However, the mechanism of action appears to be very different, as the treated enterovirus is unable to enter cells.

Experiments were then conducted on when the extract was added to see if it attacked a specific stage of the virus’s life cycle. They found that the extract appeared to act on the surface of the virus rather than on a specific stage of the virus’s replication cycle.

They also examined the treated viruses under a microscope to better understand the effectiveness of the extract. The two viruses clustered together rather than dispersed, but the enveloped coronavirus appeared to have broken down. on the contrary, Enterovirus Without an envelope, they appear to be blocked, unable to release their genome and reproduce.

“These extracts fight different viruses through different mechanisms,” explains Marjomäki. “But the extract was equally effective at inhibiting enveloped and non-enveloped viruses,” he noted.

The authors also tested existing medicinal compounds extracted from willow bark, as well as commercially prepared salicin extracts and salicin powders. Of these, only the willow bark extract showed antiviral activity, suggesting that the scientists’ success with the willow bark extract may be due to the interaction of different bioactive compounds.

Scientists fractionated the extract to understand its chemical composition but did not get a clear answer as to which of the many potent compounds might be primarily responsible for the antiviral effects.

They recognize that they must continue research to understand the bioactive compounds involved, their chemical structures, and how they work, which could lead to revolutionary new antiviral treatments.

“We are currently continuing to isolate and characterize bioactive molecules from willow bark extract. This will provide us with a range of identified pure molecules that we can study in more detail. In addition, we will study more with purified components virus. Purified components will provide us with a better opportunity to study its mechanism of action,” he noted.

Consultants database, Ventura SimonovichAfter reading the work of the Finnish scientists, the president of the Argentine Association of Experimental Pharmacology said: “This discovery is very interesting. This is new work that will allow the development of animal infection models. “If it can pass this stage, it will enter human clinical trials. test. “

Simonovich stresses that it is important to emphasize that “these studies do not always lead to treatments, but they do often open the door to not only studying the targets they target, but also what we can do to get through Modify the molecule to study it.” is more efficient and ultimately easier to use. There is still a long way to go. But the long road always starts with the first step. “