Many of you would not have heard about Louis J. Ignarro. He is the Nobel Prize winner for “Physiology or Medicine’ in 1998. He shared the prize with two others for finding the role of Nitric Oxide (NO) in cardiovascular health, which led to a revolution in not only the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, but in invention of drugs like Viagra for erectile dysfunction. NO is a versatile molecule that undertakes signalling, vasodilation and even germ killing.
This Nobel winner has said a quite interesting thing recently. He says Nitric Oxide may help in killing the Novel Corona Virus behind Covid-19. He says a treatment called ‘Inhaled NO’ is being tested now for the pandemic, but that just inhaling air through your nose, as against your mouth, may be enough to combat Covid-19, as our nasal sinuses have facilities to create NO that will be carried to the lungs where it will kill the virus. Now, isn’t that very hopeful and inspiring?