ALA is found in spinach, tomatoes, Shitake mushrooms, potatoes, squid, ground beef, wine and soy sauce
A new study from the Tokyo Institute of Technology has potentially found a natural cure for Covid-19. The study, published in the journal Plos One revealed that the natural amino acid called “5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)” is an effective means of reducing the expression of ACE2, which is the receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a strain of the coronavirus, which allows the virus to infect a cell. This amino acid can therefore reduce the infectivity of the virus.
According to clinicaltrials.gov, ALA is found in spinach, tomatoes, Shitake mushrooms, potatoes, squid, ground beef, wine, and soy sauce. The researchers prepared cultures of human cells and infected some of them with ACE2. In cells treated with the amino acid, ACE2 was found not to have spread as much.
Additionally, the researchers transformed the ALA cells into protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) and then into heme. This led the researchers to believe that ACE2 was biologically related to these two compounds.
This new research has paved the way for studies of Covid-19, showing how ALA and heme production can create a cure for Covid-19.
In Israel, 4.8 million cases have been recorded and more than 12,000 people have died from the disease.
