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A study published in the scientific journal Molecules found that the molecule in the venom of a type of snake called Jararacussu pit viper may soon become a tool to fight the virus causing COVID-19. According to a report in Reuters, the molecule produced by the Jararacussu pit viper inhibited the virus’s ability to multiply in monkey cells by 75%.
Rafael Guido, a University of Sao Paulo professor and an author of the study said, “We were able to show this component of snake venom was able to inhibit a very important protein from the virus.”
One of the largest snakes in Brazil, jararacussu, measures up to 6 feet (2 meters) long. It lives in the coastal Atlantic Forest and is also found in Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.
The jararacussu pit viper produces a molecule called a peptide. It is a chain of amino acids that connects the enzyme of the coronavirus- PLPro, which is vital to the reproduction of the virus, without hurting other cells, according to Reuters.
In an interview, Guido said that peptide is known for its antibacterial qualities and can be synthesized in the laboratory. “We’re wary about people going out to hunt the jararacussu around Brazil, thinking they’re going to save the world … That’s not it!” said Giuseppe Puorto, a herpetologist running the Butantan Institute’s biological collection in Sao Paulo. “It’s not the venom itself that will cure the coronavirus.”
The report further said that researchers are evaluating the efficiency of different doses of the molecule and whether it is able to prevent the virus from entering cells in the first place, according to a statement from the State University of Sao Paulo (Unesp), which was also involved in the research. They hope to test the substance in human cells but gave no timeline.
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