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Brazilian Snake Venom Could Help Fight COVID-19, Study Says
研究表明巴西蛇毒有助于对抗新冠肺炎
Brazilian researchers have found a molecule in snake venom that could fight COVID-19. The discovery might be the first step toward a medication to fight the virus.
巴西研究人员在蛇毒中发现了一种可以对抗新冠肺炎的分子。这一发现可能是向研制抗新冠病毒药物迈出的第一步。
Scientists found that the molecule produced by the jararacussu snake prevented the virus' ability to spread in monkey cells by 75 percent. The study was published in the scientific publication Molecules this month.
科学家发现，窝面蝰蛇产生的分子可以使病毒在猴子细胞中传播的能力降低75%。这项研究发表在本月的科学出版物《分子》上。
Rafael Guido is a professor with the University of Sao Paulo and an author of the study. He said the molecule in the venom "was able to inhibit a very important protein from the virus."
拉斐尔·奎多是圣保罗大学的教授，也是这项研究的作者。他表示，毒液中的这种分子“能够抑制病毒中一种非常重要的蛋白质。”
The molecule is called a peptide, or a group of amino acids. The molecule is able to connect to an enzyme of the coronavirus called PLPro without harming other cells. PLPro is an important part of how the virus reproduces.
这种分子称为肽或一组氨基酸。这种分子能够连接到冠状病毒中一种称为PLPro的酶，而不会伤害其他细胞。PLPro对病毒的繁殖至关重要。
The peptide is already known to scientists for its ability to fight bacteria. Guido said the peptide can be made in a laboratory, so jararacussu snakes do not need to be caught.
科学家已经知道这种肽具有抗细菌的能力。奎多表示，这种肽可以在实验室中制造，因此不需要捕捉窝面蝰蛇。
"We're wary about people going out to hunt the jararacussu around Brazil, thinking they're going to save the world," said zoologist Giuseppe Puorto with the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo. "It's not the venom itself that will cure the coronavirus," he added.
圣保罗布坦坦研究所的动物学家朱塞佩·波尔托表示，“我们担心人们会认为这可以拯救世界，而去巴西各地捕杀窝面蝰蛇蛇。”他还表示，“治愈冠状病毒的并不是毒液本身。”
The jararacussu is one of the largest snakes in Brazil, and can be up to 2 meters long. It lives in Brazil's Atlantic Forest and is also found in Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.
窝面蝰蛇是巴西最大的蛇之一，最长可达2米。它生活在巴西的大西洋森林中，在玻利维亚、巴拉圭和阿根廷等国也有发现。
Researchers will test different amounts of the molecule and see if it is able to prevent the virus from entering cells at all.
研究人员将测试不同数量的这种分子，看看它是否能够阻止病毒进入细胞。
They hope to test the molecule in human cells one day, but there are currently no plans to start.
他们希望有朝一日能在人体细胞中测试这种分子，但目前还没有开始的计划。
I'm Dan Novak.
丹·诺瓦克报道。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
