Scientists’ studies have repeatedly confirmed that men die more often from COVID-19 due to the higher concentration of ACE 2 in their blood – a protein through which the virus enters healthy cells (for SARS-CoV-2, this protein is like an open door , which are invited to enter). But women, largely due to their sex hormones, suffer from coronavirus much less often.
Joint research scientists from Harvard (USA) and the Catholic University of St. Mary (Peru) have shown that estrogens (female sex hormones) can prevent the entry of the virus into cells.
The researchers conducted tests in mice and found that estrogens (estradiol and the plant estrogen S-equol) markedly weaken the adhesion of the virus to the ACE 2 receptors, thereby blocking the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into healthy host cells. This is due to the effect of estrogens on the glycans surrounding ACE 2, which, as scientists previously established in the same study, are capable of strengthening the connection between the ACE 2 protein and the viral spike protein RBD.
The scientists concluded that the properties they discovered of estrogens could make them a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19.
We provide data that help determine the potential protective effect of estrogens and may help design future therapeutic interventions. – say the researchers.
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