A large volume of evidence come out of hospitals showing that the #COVID19 virus has two stages to the infection of the body.

In the first phase, the virus inserts its spike protein into the #ACE2 receptor, it sets off a chemical process that alters the structure of the receptor and allows the virus to infect. The spikes of the virus enables it to bind to heme groups in red blood cells.

The rate and effectivity at which this occurs can be mitigated by a strengthened immune system using the body’s internal defence mechanisms:

The lungs use #vitaminC to protect against this attack via the epithelial surface which has a thin layer of fluid packed with high levels of antioxidant molecules.

#VitaminC affects the #immunesystem, for example the function of phagocytes, transformation of T #lymphocytes and production of interferon. In particular, #vitaminC increased the resistance of chick embryo tracheal organ cultures to infection caused by the #coronavirus.

There are several mechanisms by which #vitaminD activity is critical for #immunedefence: #vitaminD acts to maintain tight junctions, promote the effect of antimicrobial peptides (i.e., #cathelicidin and #defensins), and moderate the #inflammatoryresponse.

Increased #Zinc levels inhibit the virus’s #spikeprotein from penetrating the #ACE2 #receptors.

Given that viruses are intracellular parasites that #hijack cellular processes to #replicate a virus’s #genetic material, it is essential #antiviral agents have the #ability to enter #cells.

An #individual viral particle called a #virion is able to produce about a million #newvirions once inside a cell. It would be critical for #zinc to enter cells to #destroythevirus, which makes the discovery of an #ionophore as important as #zinc’s primary role in #infectioncontrol.

MacKenzie&Greeff