Experimental analysis of the potential validity of Lorenzini’s hypothesis to treat COVID-19 patients

The present research was aimed at testing the potential validity of Lorenzini’s hypothesis against Covid-19, based on the use of far UV-C rays directly on the patient’s ill lungs, so to significantly reduce the virus presence and with it the interstitial pneumonia, the cause of most deaths. Not having had the chance to experiment directly on the SARS-CoV-2, we shifted to a plant virus called TSWV, which has some common characteristics with SARS-CoV-2, so making our tests significant. The virus was suitably utilized so to affect an opportune range of pepper plants, after a treatment with 2 UV-C lamps, of which just one spreading far UV-C rays. Results showed that the effect of a quick exposition to UVC rays of TSWV-infected sap extract reduces nearly to zero the viral effect, leaving the plant healthy or infected, but asymptomatic. Due to the test conditions and to the similarities of TSWV to SARS-CoV-2, we can conclude that Lorenzini’s hypothesis against Covid-19 is well posed and, if adopted, could save many lives.