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UPcare scientists submitted paper online: “A botanical therapy for COVID-19 that simultaneously reduces SARS-CoV-2 transmission”

Writer's picture: Peter XiaoPeter Xiao

Updated: Dec 3, 2024


UPcare scientists recently pre-published their research data online. The paper is titled "A botanical therapy for COVID-19 that simultaneously reduces SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission". The paper has been submitted to New England Journal of Medicine. The paper illustrates the major human challenges resulting from COVID-19, such as vaccine evasion, drug resistance, adverse effects, virus-induced secondary infection and long covid.


The paper also details how the compounds UP-A UP-U and UP-P which are used in UPplus plant bassed botanical products have the potential to prevent and treat Covid-19. It also details results from lab work, clinical trials and consumer feedback.


A botanical therapy for COVID-19 that simultaneously reduces SARS-CoV-2 transmission


Coronaviruses (CoVs) comprise a large family of single-stranded RNA viruses, causing respiratory, gastrointestinal, hepatic, and neurologic diseases (1). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causal virus of coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) that poses a serious threat to global public health. The spectrum of severity observed in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 varies from an asymptomatic state to a severe respiratory tract infection with life-threatening conditions requiring intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalisation and intensive care (2). The outbreak of COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China. As of July 2022, SARS-CoV-2 has caused over 570 million reported cases and 6.4 million deaths globally. COVID-19 vaccines are rightly being celebrated for their ability to reduce COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, but SARS-CoV-2 is evolving constantly; vaccines are less effective against new variants and do not stop the virus from spreading. Hence, the COVID-19 pandemic continues, putting healthcare systems worldwide under considerable stress.


The rapid spread of the virus is at least partially due to transmission from infected people with mild or no symptoms. In Wuhan, 81% of 72,314 patients evaluated in period were considered to have mild symptoms (3). The high prevalence of mild cases in the community makes it difficult to stop transmission vulnerable people who then develop severe symptoms. Therefore, effective early intervention even in mild cases is important to reduce overall mortality and halt or at least slow down the spread of the disease. A safe and effective medicine is a critical weapon against COVID-19 and vaccine-escaping SARS-CoV-2 variants


Major challenges of the COVID-19 crisis:


Some of the current challenges posed by SARS-CoV2 include:


Vaccine evasion:  Many vaccines have been developed for the prevention of COVID-19, such as mRNA vaccines (by Pfizer and Moderna), replication-defective recombinant adenoviral vector vaccines (by Johnson and Johnson, Astra-Zeneca, Sputnik-V, and CanSino) and inactivated vaccines (by Sinopharm, Bharat Biotech and Sinovac) (4).  However, their absolute relative risk (the ratio of the attack rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations) is low (5), and is likely to be even lower for new variants.


Drug resistance: The United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given conditional emergency use authorisation to Paxlovid (Pfizer) and Lagevrio (Merck) for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults. However, there are increasing concerns about their contraindications and severe adverse effects. Paxlovid cannot be administrated to patients receiving any of over 100 drugs (6), many of which are used in basic treatments for common chronic diseases. It must not be used in patients with poor liver or kidney function, and is also known to have a rebound effect wherein symptoms of Covid-19 reappear (7). Lagevrio treatment can cause and birth defects, either due to overexposure or through sperm precursor cells in pregnant women. Moreover, the threat of resistance is particularly severe for monotherapies such as Lagevrio and Paxlovid, each of which targets a single molecular mechanism of the virus. To prevent emergence of resistant viruses, it is imperative to develop new antivirals aimed at different targets to attack the virus on multiple fronts.


Adverse effects: The World Health Organization (WHO) records the adverse effects of vaccines and drugs, as reported by healthcare professionals, and notes that mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna can cause myocarditis, pericarditis and anaphylaxis. Adverse effects have also been reported for adenovirus vector vaccines from AstraZeneca, Janssen, Gamaleya and CanSino Biologics, including thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, immune thrombocytopenic purpura and Guillain-Barré syndrome (8). Recent research showed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse transcribed and integrated into the genome of human cells (9). In view of this finding, another study tested the efficacy of Pfizer mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 and showed its ability to integrate and reverse transcribe itself into human liver cells (4).


Virus-induced secondary infections: Secondary bacterial infections are a common accompaniment of viral respiratory infections, and often result in diminished health. Secondary bacterial infections have been observed in COVID-19 patients (10) who suffer from a more acute disease and approximately three times higher death rates due to secondary infections (11). A high rate (19.6%) of acute respiratory distress syndrome has been observed in patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia. Bacterial infections secondary to COVID-19, especially of  multi-drug resistant strains, are likely to become a significant source of mortality. Causative bacterial species identified in people admitted to hospital with COVID-19 associated pneumonia include Staphylococcus aureus, which adheres to epithelial cells. Due to the severity of secondary bacterial infections, their contribution to COVID-19 complications and mortality, prevention of secondary bacterial infection should also be an important target in Covid-19 treatment.


Long covid: A large proportion of COVID-19 patients – in some studies, more than 50% – experience debilitating symptoms that persist well beyond the initial viral infection, a syndrome known as long COVID. Long COVID often affect multiple organ systems, greatly reducing sufferers’ capacity for work and everyday functioning. Some patients experienced neuropsychiatric symptoms such as brain fog and cognitive dysfunction, including attention deficit and decreased problem-solving and decision-making capacities, while others suffered from speech and language problems, headache, mood disorder, loss of taste, olfactory loss, sleep disorders, fatigue, hair loss and dyspnea (12). Patients with long COVID may also experience irregular relapsing-remitting symptoms after physical or mental activity (13). Management of long COVID is increasing the stress on health systems and national economies.


These varied concerns and harms deriving from the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the need for a multifaceted approach to the problem. We propose a botanical solution, consisting of three natural compounds, as a safe and effective medicine for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and reduction of COVID-19 severity.


More details of the paper can be searched online. 

 

About UPcare Group


The UPcare Group based in Melbourne Australia and are a leader in the discovery of antiviral therapies combating respiratory infections. It was founded by a group of leading scientists and researchers to address the growing concerns and proliferation of viruses and other transmitted illnesses through the human respiratory functions.

About The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is recognized as the world’s leading medical journal and website. Published continuously for over 200 years, NEJM delivers high-quality, peer-reviewed research and interactive clinical content to physicians, educators, researchers, and the global medical community.


References:

 

Diji Kuriakose1, Peter S. Xiao1, Zhiyong He1, Gray G. Peng2, Grant Morahan3, and Zhi-cheng Xiao1

1Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia

2Apex Biotech Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

3Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia

 *Correspondence: zhicheng.xiao@monash.edu (Z.X.)

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