Food Additive Could Prove To Be An Effective Virus Blocker

U.S. researchers have found that an FDA-approved food additive known as tert-butyl hydroquinone “attaches to the Achilles heel” of the deadly H7N9 virus, disabling a special protein and making infection impossible. Flu viruses enter host cells via the protein hemagglutinin, which acts as a "key" that opens receptors on the cell surface. Existing drugs do not target the protein, but in lab experiments tert-butyl hydroquinone prevented the virus from infecting human lung cells. Tert-butyl hydroquinone is used in many foods as a preservative and stabilizer, but it is unknown whether it is safe when consumed in very high doses.