Nitric oxide, a so-called “miracle molecule” already used to help newborn babies and adults with acute respiratory illnesses, could be used to treat, or even prevent coronavirus infections, says the Nobel prize-winning scientist who helped discovered its health effects.
The treatment potential for the safe, and widely used gas, not to be confused with its cousin, nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is being tested at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“I have every reason to believe that the inhaled nitric oxide will be quite effective in relieving all of that inflammation and the destruction in the lungs which is how the SARS-CoV-2 virus kills humans,” said Dr. Louis Ignarro, who won a Nobel Prize in 1998 for his breakthrough discovery of the molecule and its positive health impacts.
Nitric oxide, a colorless gas that is naturally created in the body dilates blood vessels to speed up blood and oxygen flow. Inhaled nitric oxide is widely known for saving many oxygen-starved newborn babies with heart defects.
Ignarro said the biggest issues in severe COVID patients, which can ultimately lead to death, are inflammation and blood clotting.
“Nitric oxide prevents the blood from clotting, so it’s a no-brainer, if you can get that nitric oxide in the lungs, you can prevent the blood from clotting and dilate the arteries,” said Ignarro.
He added that the molecule can also fight some bacteria, parasites and viruses. It is safe and is already used as a rescue therapy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Studies during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in 2004 demonstrated that nitric oxide was effective in killing that virus, a type of coronavirus.
“I’ve been calling it a miracle molecule for years and years,” said Ignarro.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are exploring the theory. The hospital is the first center in the nation to rigorously test inhaled nitric oxide for novel coronavirus.
One MGH study, which is currently recruiting participants, is aimed at severe COVID-19 patients that have been intubated and admitted to the intensive care unit. They will receive inhaled nitric oxide to determine if it improves outcomes.
Another MGH study will assess inhaled nitric oxide as a treatment for patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.
Patients in that group will get inhaled nitric oxide for 30 minutes, two times a day for two weeks in hopes that the treatment prevents the disease from getting worse and leading to intubation.
A third MGH trial is aimed at health care workers with exposure to COVID-positive patients. The workers will be given inhaled nitric oxide before and after their shifts to see if the treatment could protect them against the virus.
Dr. John Walker, an advanced airway orthodontist and a clinical instructor of orthodontics at Boston University calls nitric oxide a “ninja gas” and also believes the molecule can help to beat back the pandemic.
Walker said nitric oxide is naturally produced in tissues in the sinuses, meaning that breathing through the nose, instead of the mouth, can trigger the molecule and even kill germs.
Walker added that many of his patients experience obstruction in the nose due to dental or orthodontic issues, meaning that people who must breathe through their mouth could be more susceptible to coronavirus, although it has not yet been proven.
Ignarro also encourages nose-breathing, saying that nitric oxide is produced all the time in the nasal passages, dilating the arteries and allowing greater air passage.
Ignarro said he anxiously awaits the results of the nitric oxide trials that are currently in motion.
“We finally come to the possibility that nitric oxide could be used to save the lives of these patients with COVID-19 and you know, that would be a great ending for this whole nitric oxide saga,” said Ignarro.