Early on during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts noticed that people with diabetes were more likely to become hospitalized with the disease—the big question was why. Now, in vitro and in vivo work suggests that low concentrations of the metabolite 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol (1,5-AG) may help explain the increased vulnerability of this population.
Researchers reported last week (May 9) in Nature Metabolism that 1,5-AG, a monosaccharide used as a blood biomarker for human diabetes mellitus because levels of the sugar are significantly lower in people with diabetes, binds to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and prevents the virus from fusing with human cells—the crucial first step in cell entry. Moreover, supplementing diabetic mice with the sugar reduced COVID-19 severity, suggesting the molecule might hold promise as a treatment for the infection, particularly in people with diabetes.
Barry Rouse, an immunologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who did not participate in this study, ...
