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30.12.2023

Do vitamin C and arginine enhance each other's antiviral effect?

Just as zinc and quercetin enhance each other's antiviral effect, L-arginine and vitamin C may enhance each other's protective effect in the context of coronavirus infection. We wrote that a few days ago. A recent Serbian in vitro study tells how. At first glance, at least...

Study
Chemists from the University of Belgrade determined the extent to which vitamin C and arginine inhibit the enzyme 3CLpro. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 needs this enzyme to multiply after it has entered cells.

There is some evidence that vitamin C speeds up the recovery from Covid. The same goes for arginine. That is why the Serbs wondered whether the combination of those two substances accelerate each other's antiviral effect by inhibiting 3CLpro.

Results
Both vitamin C and arginine inhibited 3CLpro. The higher the concentration, the stronger the inhibitory effect.

The first figure below refers to vitamin C, the second to arginine.

Conclusion
The table below shows the extent to which vitamin C and L-arginine, alone and in combination, strengthen each other's enzyme-inhibiting effect. In theory, the combination of vitamin C and arginine could inhibit the replication of the virus.

There is a catch though. Most tested concentrations are higher than you would normally find in a human body.

We have tried to indicate them with gray bars in the figures above. The inhibitory effects you see in the table above are considerably higher than you can expect in the real world.

The figure above gives you an idea of ​​the concentration of vitamin C in the body. We took it from [Nutrients. 2019 Oct 9;11(10):2412.]. Click on it for a larger version.

Supplementation may allow higher doses in some tissues than the concentrations you see above. But the concentrations at which the Serbs achieved the most promising results are probably not possible with supplementation either.

In the study we read the day before yesterday, the combination of supplementation with vitamin C and L-arginine accelerated the healing of long Covid. Perhaps this is because a relatively small effect on 3CLpro is also relevant. Or perhaps co-supplementation with vitamin C and L-arginine also works in a different way than by inhibiting 3CLpro.

We'll go over this some more... More coming soon.

Source:
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2023 Jan 13;28(1):8.

More:
A daily dose of 4 grams of arginine and 1 gram of vitamin C might rid you of long Covid 28.12.2023
Covid-19 | Low dose of arginine speeds up recovery 13.10.2021
Infected with corona? You need more vitamin C 30.09.2021

Archives:
Immune System
Amino Acids
L-Arginine
Vitamin C
Vitamins

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