Interferon-inducer antivirals: Potential candidates to combat COVID-19
#MMPMID33348292
Bagheri A
; Moezzi SMI
; Mosaddeghi P
; Nadimi Parashkouhi S
; Fazel Hoseini SM
; Badakhshan F
; Negahdaripour M
Int Immunopharmacol
2021[Feb]; 91
(?): 107245
PMID33348292
show ga
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infective disease generated by severe
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Given the pandemic urgency
and lack of an effective cure for this disease, drug repurposing could open the
way for finding a solution. Lots of investigations are ongoing to test the
compounds already identified as antivirals. On the other hand, induction of type
I interferons are found to play an important role in the generation of immune
responses against SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it was opined that the antivirals
capable of triggering the interferons and their signaling pathway, could
rationally be beneficial for treating COVID-19. On this basis, using a database
of antivirals, called drugvirus, some antiviral agents were derived, followed by
searches on their relevance to interferon induction. The examined list included
drugs from different categories such as antibiotics, immunosuppressants,
anti-cancers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), calcium channel
blocker compounds, and some others. The results as briefed here, could help in
finding potential drug candidates for COVID-19 treatment. However, their
advantages and risks should be taken into account through precise studies,
considering a systemic approach. Even though the adverse effects of some of these
drugs may overweight their benefits, considering their mechanisms and structures
may give a clue for designing novel drugs in the future. Furthermore, the
antiviral effect and IFN-modifying mechanisms possessed by some of these drugs
might lead to a synergistic effect against SARS-CoV-2, which deserve to be
evaluated in further investigations.
|*COVID-19 Drug Treatment
[MESH]
|Animals
[MESH]
|Antiviral Agents/*pharmacology/*therapeutic use
[MESH]
|COVID-19/virology
[MESH]
|Humans
[MESH]
|Interferon Type I/*pharmacology/*therapeutic use
[MESH]
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