Scientists Discover Naturally Occurring Gut Molecule That Can Prevent and Treat the Flu

Researchers at the State University of Campinas in Brazil and the Pasteur Institute in Lille, France, conducted experiments on mice and discovered that administering a specific substance reduced both viral load and inflammation in animals infected with the influenza virus.

According to a study published in the journal Gut Microbes, researchers from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil, and Pasteur Institut in Lille, France, have found that a naturally occurring gut molecule can prevent and even treat influenza.

Experiments with mice showed a fall in levels of the molecule indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) during infection by influenza virus H3N2.