Grapefruit compound may help combat hepatitis C infection
Date: 6.2.2008
A **compound** that naturally occurs in **grapefruit** and other citrus fruits may be able to block the secretion of **hepatitis C virus** (HCV) from infected cells, a process required to maintain **chronic infection.**
A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) report that HCV is bound to very low-density lipoprotein (vLDL, a so-called “bad” cholesterol) when it is secreted from liver cells and that the viral secretion required to pass infection to other cells may be blocked by the common flavonoid naringenin.
"EurekAlert!":[ http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/mgh-gcm020408.php]
