Xanthohumol and viral infections

The corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) caused by the so called severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV2) has resulted in more than 190 million confirmed cases and >4 million deaths either caused directly or related to the viral infection around the globe. Recently, vaccines have been developed; however, until now it is unknown how long the different vaccines will protect against the infection, if the vaccinations have to be repeated, and how protective they are against mutations of the virus and whether all vaccines prevent both mild and severe Covid-19 infections. Therefore, additional measures damping or maybe even preventing the onset of viral infections are at need. Targeting the immune response has been proposed as a possible route in the treatment of SARS-CoV2 related infections. Results of us and others suggest that hop compounds like xanthohumol may alter the immune response. In the planned project we will assess if the hop compound xanthohumol affects diseases associated with upper respiratory tract viral infections. With this project we also aim to aid to the development of new preventive and therapeutic strategies for SARS-CoV2 infections.