What do lentils have to do with #Covid_19? Lectins are ancient proteins that evolved before antibodies to inactivate invading organisms. Human mannose-binding lectin has been found to inactivate #SARSCoV2. So have lectins in plants, such as one made by the common lentil 🌱1/n
Mannose-binding protein, MBL, is a member of the collectin family, and it has a carbohydrate recognition domain and a collagen-like domain @NatImmunol 2/n nature.com/articles/s4159…
The first study of lectins began 134 years ago by Peter Stillmark who found that the seed extracts of the Castor bean can cause red blood cells stick together. The lectin was named Ricin. 3/n ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
Plant lectins with antiviral activity were first reported in 1988: D-mannose-specific plant lectins blocked the binding of HIV in-vitro 4/n
Well written science-based article by Bill Haseltine @Forbes 5/n forbes.com/sites/williamh…
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