May 1, 2017.
Frog skin could be the basis for developing an effective treatment for influenza, according to a study by a team of researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Georgia, USA. .
A mucus capable of fighting the H1 influenza virus
A substance found in the skin mucus secreted by frogs in southern India could overcome the H1 influenza virus. This is in any case what American researchers reveal in a study published in the medical journal. Immunity. According to these studies, the skin of frogs is indeed covered with a mucus which protects it from external aggressions and in particular bacteria.
This protection is made possible by the presence ofa number of agents, including 4 peptides capable of neutralizing H1 strains of influenza, in mice. On the other hand, out of these 4 peptides, only one is not toxic to humans. This agent, called urumine, has been in contact with different variants of seasonal influenza and has been shown to be effective against many of them.
An interesting basis for future treatments
” Our work suggests that peptides represent a basis for new antiviral drugs Said Joshy Jacob, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, who led the study. According to him, these agents may be more effective than vaccines, which are not always available, especially when dealing with a new pandemic strain.
Research continues for work on making possible treatments that are tolerable for humans, but also to find out whether other peptides from the mucous membranes of frogs could be effective against dengue, HIV, Ebola or Zika viruses. Urumine had no effect against these other human viruses.
Marine Rondot
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