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https://www.covid-19forum.org/index.php?topic=227.0[edit add 8-14-21] Quercetin studies https://c19quercetin.com/ [end edit]The poster of this article in this forum is not endorsing or recommending any preventative measure. The readers in here are capable of investigating the subject and making their own decisions, including dosage to avoid over-supplementation and
zinc toxicity.
Though it doesn't perform as many
functions as hydroxychloroquine,
quercetin is also a zinc ionophore, that helps transport zinc through the cell wall and into the cell where it inhibits replication of the virus.Quercetin and EGCG as zinc ionophore prophylaxis discussion at
32 minute mark4:00 minute mark to go directly to the
mechanism of an ionophore discussion
Scroll to the
6 minute mark for the discussion on
quercetin as a zinc ionophore.
https://nutritionalpharmacology.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/combating-covid-19-with-zinc-and-quercetin/"Combating COVID-19 with Zinc and Quercetin March 21, 2020
A South Korean research paper has demonstrated in Vitro that by increasing the Zinc concentration in cellular cytoplasm, that viral replication is inhibited. As intracellular levels of Zinc are increased the inhibition of viral replication can reach 100% according to charts within the paper. The researchers used two antimalarial drugs which are Ionophores. Ionophores are molecules that can carry a charged ion like Zinc across a cellular membrane. South Korea has been treating high risk, Critically I’ll COVID-19 patients with the drug Hydroxychloroquine. It is likely the single clinical reason that South Korea has the lowest death rate in the world for COVID-19 victims of 0.6% Hydroxychloroquine is a pharmaceutical drug that requires a prescription. However there is a nutritional supplement called Quercetin that is a Zinc Chelator and Ionophore and requires no prescription. It’s interesting that there has been a great deal of research done on the ability of Elderberries as and antiviral agent. And Elderberries, Red Wine and Blueberries all three have high amounts of Quercetin. It may be likely that the high Quercetin content of these foods is the reason for their measurable anti-viral properties. So what would be better than supplementing Zinc and Quercetin together to elevate intracellular Zinc levels in order to inhibit viral replication? Since there have been no Clinical Trials of this supplement regimen then dosages are your best guess. But even increasing Zinc to levels that result in a thirty percent inhibition seems like a major advantage to the patient, and may be enough to tip the struggle in your favour."
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https://greenstarsproject.org/2020/03/27/quercetin-a-treatment-for-coronavirus/"Quercetin – a treatment for coronavirus?
March 27, 2020 ~ jkaybay"
(excerpt)
"Two zinc ionophores: the synthetic antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine (left) and the naturally occurring flavonoid, quercetin.
Quercetin – a naturally occurring zinc ionophore.
Quercetin is a flavonoid (a type of polyphenol) that’s present in a variety of edible plants – from herbs like cilantro and dill, to veggies and fruit such as onion, kale and cranberries, with the highest concentration found in capers. Quercetin was demonstrated to be a zinc ionophore in 2014.
“Dietary plant polyphenols such as the flavonoids quercetin (QCT) and epigallocatechin-gallate act as antioxidants and as signaling molecules. Remarkably, the activities of numerous enzymes that are targeted by polyphenols are dependent on zinc. We have previously shown that these polyphenols chelate zinc cations and hypothesized that these flavonoids might be also acting as zinc ionophores, transporting zinc cations through the plasma membrane.”
If HCQ proves to be effective in treating COVID-19 then it’s possible that quercetin in our diet may also be protective (while avoiding the side effects of HCQ). But that’s also predicated on quercetin having a similar effect to HCQ in patients and again, medicine is complex.
Quercetin – other chances that it may be helpful in treating COVID-19
Quercetin and plants that contain it have a certain following for treatment of various conditions – for example, capers are used in Iranian Traditional Medicine. Taking a look at the scientific studies carried out specifically on quercetin, here are some highlights:
In 2015 it was reported that quercetin inhibits entry of the influenza A and the H5N1 virus to cells in vitro.
Quercetin was also found to inhibit adhesion of the human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV).
Researchers from Oak Ridge National Lab used the world’s most powerful supercomputer, SUMMIT, to look for small molecules that might inhibit the COVID-19 spike protein from interacting with human cells and interestingly, quercetin is fifth on that list.
This is not a peer-reviewed scientific publication but Leo Galland also recommends quercetin, but via a different mechanism (mTOR modulation). Incidentally, his other recommendations can also be obtained from food sources: curcumin (turmeric), rosmarinic acid (rosemary, sage, oregano), resveratrol (red wine and grapes), and elderberry.
So it boils down to two possible benefits from quercetin: modulation of zinc transport into cells (and possibly altering the pH in lysosomes) and blocking viral docking to host cells.
Bottom line: should you eat quercetin-rich foods?
I feel comfortable with the idea of eating zinc-rich foods that also qualify as healthy foods (e.g., seeds, legumes, mushrooms, and spinach). I’m somewhat comfortable with doing the same for foods that are moderately rich in quercetin (e.g., kale, onions, peppers, and elderberry juice). The one thing that gives me pause is that consumption of the most quercetin-rich food, capers, is high in the countries where COVID-19 has a strong mortality rate: Italy, Spain, France and Iran. I know – there are myriad reasons why these countries are more strongly impacted. I also know that some of the above is merely armchair science. But I figure that it’s useful to share thoughts in case they spark an idea or study that can take us a little closer to a treatment.
The post was originally published (by me) on Medium."
https://nutritionalpharmacology.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/combating-covid-19-with-zinc-and-quercetin/
