Plant biologists at North Carolina State University may have uncovered a key ingredient to inhibiting a key enzyme related to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

According to a report posted on ScienceDaily.com Chemical compounds in products such as green tea, muscadine grapes, and dark chocolate can bind to and block the function of a particular enzyme, or protease, in the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The study, which be found in Frontiers in Plant Science, found that the so-called "main protease" (Mpro) in the SARS-CoV-2 virus reacted when confronted with a number of different plant chemical compounds known for their potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Computer simulations showed the chemical compounds from green tea, two varieties of muscadine grapes, cacao powder and dark chocolate were able to bind to different portions of Mpro.

"Mpro has a portion that is like a pocket that was filled by the chemical compounds," said De-Yu Xie, professor of plant and microbial biology at NC State and the corresponding author of the study. "When this pocket was filled, the protease lost its important function."