Scientists National Institutions of Health found that the new Experimental TEMPOL preparation is a promising oral antiviral tool for the treatment of COVID-19. TEMPOL can limit SARS-COV-2 infection, relaxing the activity of a viral enzyme called RNA replicasa. This is reported in an article published in the SCIENCE journal.
Researchers found out that for the optimal functioning of RNA replicases (catalyzes RNA replication) requires two glazier clusters (Fe-S-clusters). Tempol destroys these clusters, and, as experts have demonstrated in experiments, effectively suppresses the reproduction of the coronavirus SARS-COV-2.
Based on previous studies of TEMPOL on animals with other diseases, the authors of the study noted that the developed drug is able to accumulate in tissues, where the virus (salivary glands and light) is multiplied, in sufficient doses for therapeutic effect.
However, researchers emphasize that further clinical studies are needed to determine whether the drug is effective in patients in the early stages of the course of the disease, when the virus is just beginning to multiply.