New Delhi: Along with ongoing research on new treatments to combat the coronavirus (Covid-19), possibilities are also being explored in existing drugs. This drug can prove to be helpful in the fight against this virus. According to the results of the study published in the online journal Immunity, the drug metformin has been found to be effective in the prevention of ARDS in rats. Researchers said that this drug may also have the potential for treating nervous system diseases.
Researchers have found that a drug called metformin, which lowers blood sugar, can prevent pulmonary or lung inflammation. Inflammation in the lungs is a major cause of the severity of corona infection and death. Researchers from the University of California, USA, have made this claim based on a study on SARS-Cov-2 infected mice that cause Covid-19. Metformin is usually used as the initial treatment for type 2 diabetes patients.
This medication works by decreasing the production of glucose in the liver and lowering the blood sugar level. The result is an improved response to insulin. Researchers conducted this study on rats suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is a condition in which due to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, there is difficulty in breathing and the organs do not get oxygen. This condition is fatal. This situation is becoming the main cause of death among corona victims admitted in hospitals.
