Explained: In dark chocolate and green tea, compounds that block the coronavirus enzyme
Explained: In dark chocolate and green tea, compounds that block the coronavirus enzyme The enzyme whose function is blocked is the ‘main protease’ (Mpro) in SARS-CoV-2. The virus requires this enzyme in order to replicate. If MPro is blocked or deactivated, the virus cannot survive. Certain foods and beverages such as green tea, dark chocolate and muscadine grapes — a grapevine species native to parts of the United States — contain chemical compounds that can block the function of a key enzyme in the novel coronavirus, a new study has found. The study, by plant biologists at North Carolina State University, is published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. The enzyme whose function is blocked is the ‘main protease’ (Mpro) in SARS-CoV-2. The virus requires this enzyme in order to replicate. If MPro is blocked or deactivated, the virus cannot survive. In the study, the researchers performed both computer simulations and lab studies showing how Mpro reacted when confronted wi...