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Padín JF, Pérez-Ortiz JM, Redondo-Calvo FJ. Aprotinin (II): Inhalational Administration for the Treatment of COVID-19 and Other Viral Conditions. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7209. [PMID: 39000315 PMCID: PMC11241800 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Aprotinin is a broad-spectrum inhibitor of human proteases that has been approved for the treatment of bleeding in single coronary artery bypass surgery because of its potent antifibrinolytic actions. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an urgent need to find new antiviral drugs. Aprotinin is a good candidate for therapeutic repositioning as a broad-spectrum antiviral drug and for treating the symptomatic processes that characterise viral respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. This is due to its strong pharmacological ability to inhibit a plethora of host proteases used by respiratory viruses in their infective mechanisms. The proteases allow the cleavage and conformational change of proteins that make up their viral capsid, and thus enable them to anchor themselves by recognition of their target in the epithelial cell. In addition, the activation of these proteases initiates the inflammatory process that triggers the infection. The attraction of the drug is not only its pharmacodynamic characteristics but also the possibility of administration by the inhalation route, avoiding unwanted systemic effects. This, together with the low cost of treatment (≈2 Euro/dose), makes it a good candidate to reach countries with lower economic means. In this article, we will discuss the pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological characteristics of aprotinin administered by the inhalation route; analyse the main advances in our knowledge of this medication; and the future directions that should be taken in research in order to reposition this medication in therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan-Fernando Padín
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine at Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13971 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - José Manuel Pérez-Ortiz
- Facultad HM de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Camilo José Cela, 28692 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, 28015 Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Javier Redondo-Calvo
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine at Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13971 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University General Hospital, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Translational Research Unit, University General Hospital and Research Institute of Castilla-La Mancha (IDISCAM), 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
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2
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Moneshwaran S, Macrin D, Kanagathara N. An unprecedented global challenge, emerging trends and innovations in the fight against COVID-19: A comprehensive review. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 267:131324. [PMID: 38574936 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly contagious and dangerous virus that caused the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. It primarily affects the respiratory system, leading to severe illness and high rates of mortality worldwide. The virus enters the body by binding to a receptor called ACE2, which is present in specific cells of the lungs known as type 2 alveolar epithelial cells. Numerous studies have investigated the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, revealing various impacts on the body. This review provides an overview of SARS-CoV-2, including its structure and how it infects cells. It also examines the different variants of concern, such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and the more recent Omicron variant, discussing their characteristics and the level of damage they cause. The usage of drugs to treat COVID-19 is another aspect that has been covered and compares the effectiveness and use of antiviral drugs in the treatment and its potential benefits in COVID-19 treatment. Furthermore, this review explores the consequences and abnormalities associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, including its impact on various organs and systems in the body. And also discussing the different COVID-19 vaccines available and their effectiveness in preventing infection and reducing the severity of illness. The current review ensures the recent update of the COVID research with expert's knowledge, collection of numerous data from reliable sources and methodologies as well as update of findings based on reviews. This review also provided clear contextual explanations to aid the interpretation and application of the results. The main motto and limitation of this manuscript are to address the computational methods of drug discovery against the rapidly evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has been discussed. Additionally, current computational approaches which are cost effective and can able to predict the therapeutic agents for the treatment against the virus have also been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Moneshwaran
- Department of Bioinformatics, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Thandalam, Chennai 602 105, India
| | - D Macrin
- Department of Bioinformatics, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Thandalam, Chennai 602 105, India
| | - N Kanagathara
- Department of Physics, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Thandalam, Chennai 602 105, India.
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Ramachandran B, Nadeem A, Mohanprasanth A, Saravanan M. Prediction of deleterious non-synonymous SNPs of TMPRSS2 protein combined with Molecular Dynamics Simulations and free energy analysis to identify the potential peptide substrates against SARS-CoV-2. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38592189 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2330710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Globally the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection demands for the new drugs, the TMPRSS2 target plays a vital role in facilitating the virus entry. The aim of the present study is to identify the potential peptide substrate from the Anti-viral database against TMPRSS2 of SARS-CoV-2. The compound screening and variation analysis were performed using molecular docking analysis and online tools such as PROVEAN and SNAP2 server, respectively. The re-docked crystal structure peptide substrate exhibits -128.151 kcal/mol whereas the RRKK peptide substrate shows -134.158 kcal/mol. Further, the selected compounds were proceeded with Molecular Dynamics Simulation, it explores the stability of the complex by revealing the hotspot residues (His296 and Ser441) were active for nucleophilic attack against TMPRSS2. The average Binding Free Energy values computed through MM/GBSA for RRKK, Camostat, and Crystal Structure were shown -69.9278 kcal/mol, -64.5983 kcal/mol, and -63.9755 kcal/mol, respectively against TMPRSS2. The 'rate of acylation' emerges as an indicator for RRKK's efficacy, it maintains the distance of 3.2 Å with Ser441 resembles, whilst its -NH backbone stabilizes at 2.5 Å 'Michaelis Complex' which leads to prevent the entry of SARS-CoV-2 to human cells. The sequence variation analysis explores that the V160 and G6 substitutions are essential to emphasize the uncover possibilities for the ongoing drug discovery research. Therefore, the identified peptide substrate found to be potent against SARS-CoV-2 and these results will be valuable for ongoing drug discovery research.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balajee Ramachandran
- Structural and Computational Biology Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Science Block, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ahmed Nadeem
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aruchamy Mohanprasanth
- AMR & Nanotherapeutics Lab, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical, Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Muthupandian Saravanan
- AMR & Nanotherapeutics Lab, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical, Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Kesika P, Thangaleela S, Sisubalan N, Radha A, Sivamaruthi BS, Chaiyasut C. The Role of the Nuclear Factor-Kappa B (NF-κB) Pathway in SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Pathogens 2024; 13:164. [PMID: 38392902 PMCID: PMC10892479 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13020164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 is a global health threat caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is associated with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality. The present review discusses nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation and its potential therapeutical role in treating COVID-19. COVID-19 pathogenesis, the major NF-κB pathways, and the involvement of NF-κB in SARS-CoV-2 have been detailed. Specifically, NF-κB activation and its impact on managing COVID-19 has been discussed. As a central player in the immune and inflammatory responses, modulating NF-κB activation could offer a strategic avenue for managing SARS-CoV-2 infection. Understanding the NF-κB pathway's role could aid in developing treatments against SARS-CoV-2. Further investigations into the intricacies of NF-κB activation are required to reveal effective therapeutic strategies for managing and combating the SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Periyanaina Kesika
- Office of Research Administration, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; (P.K.); (N.S.)
- Innovation Center for Holistic Health, Nutraceuticals, and Cosmeceuticals, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Subramanian Thangaleela
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Medical Biotechnology and Integrative Physiology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Natarajan Sisubalan
- Office of Research Administration, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; (P.K.); (N.S.)
- Innovation Center for Holistic Health, Nutraceuticals, and Cosmeceuticals, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Arumugam Radha
- Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Chaiyavat Chaiyasut
- Innovation Center for Holistic Health, Nutraceuticals, and Cosmeceuticals, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
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He Y, Zhou J, Gao H, Liu C, Zhan P, Liu X. Broad-spectrum antiviral strategy: Host-targeting antivirals against emerging and re-emerging viruses. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 265:116069. [PMID: 38160620 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Viral infections are amongst the most prevalent diseases that pose a significant threat to human health. Targeting viral proteins or host factors represents two primary strategies for the development of antiviral drugs. In contrast to virus-targeting antivirals (VTAs), host-targeting antivirals (HTAs) offer advantages in terms of overcoming drug resistance and effectively combating a wide range of viruses, including newly emerging ones. Therefore, targeting host factors emerges as an extremely promising strategy with the potential to address critical challenges faced by VTAs. In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on the discovery and development of HTAs, leading to the approval of maraviroc, a chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) antagonist used for the treatment of HIV-1 infected individuals, with several other potential treatments in various stages of development for different viral infections. This review systematically summarizes advancements made in medicinal chemistry regarding various host targets and classifies them into four distinct catagories based on their involvement in the viral life cycle: virus attachment and entry, biosynthesis, nuclear import and export, and viral release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Jiahui Zhou
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Huizhan Gao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Chuanfeng Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China
| | - Peng Zhan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China.
| | - Xinyong Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250012, Shandong Province, PR China.
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C AM, Wessler S, Ponnuraj K. Inhibition of Listeria Monocytogenes HtrA Protease with Camostat, Gabexate and Nafamostat Mesylates and the Binding Mode of the Inhibitors. Protein J 2023:10.1007/s10930-023-10114-8. [PMID: 37093417 PMCID: PMC10123570 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-023-10114-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
In many bacteria, the High Temperature requirement A (HtrA) protein functions as a chaperone and protease. HtrA is an important factor in stress tolerance and plays a significant role in the virulence of several pathogenic bacteria. Camostat, gabexate and nafamostat mesylates are serine protease inhibitors and have recently shown a great impact in the inhibition studies of SARS-CoV2. In this study, the inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes HtrA (LmHtrA) protease activity was analysed using these three inhibitors. The cleavage assay, using human fibrinogen and casein as substrates, revealed that the three inhibitors effectively inhibit the protease activity of LmHtrA. The agar plate assay and spectrophotometric analysis concluded that the inhibition of nafamostat (IC50 value of 6.6 ± 0.4 µM) is more effective compared to the other two inhibitors. Previous studies revealed that at the active site of the protease, these inhibitors are hydrolysed and one of the hydrolysates is covalently bound to the active site serine. To understand the mode of binding of these inhibitors at the active site of LmHtrA, docking of the inhibitors followed by molecular dynamics simulations were carried out. Analysis of the LmHtrA-inhibitor complex structures revealed that the covalently bound inhibitor is unable to occupy the S1 pocket of the LmHtrA which is in contrast to the previously determined camostat and nafamostat complex structures. This observation provides the first glimpse of the substrate specificity of LmHtrA which is not known. The obtained results also suggest that the development of novel inhibitors of LmHtrA and its homologs with active site architecture similar to LmHtrA can be pursued with suitable modification of these inhibitors. To date, only a very few studies have been carried out on identifying the inhibitors of HtrA proteolytic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrutha M C
- Centre of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India
| | - Silja Wessler
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, Salzburg, A-5020, Austria
| | - Karthe Ponnuraj
- Centre of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India.
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Hosseini MS, Davoudi-Monfared E, Najmeddin F, Mojtahedzadeh M. Effect of Famotidine on COVID-19: Killing Virus or Opposing ARDS? Pulm Ther 2023; 9:173-175. [PMID: 37004651 PMCID: PMC10066957 DOI: 10.1007/s41030-023-00220-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the first detection of SARS-CoV-2 in China, COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) has taken the lives of more than six million people. Although some antivirals seem proper for treatment, the investigation of finding the best therapeutic approach for COVID-19 is still continuing. Some observational research showed that famotidine has promising effects in addition to its acid-suppressing characteristics in the treatment of COVID-19. The definite viricidal effect of famotidine is not established. Opposing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can be proposed as a probable mechanism for the action of famotidine, due to its inhibitory effect on histamine release, inhibition of transmembrane protease serine S (TMPRSS) and stabilizing glycocalyx. These hypotheses should be under investigation in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahnaz Sadat Hosseini
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Porsina St., Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
| | - Effat Davoudi-Monfared
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Porsina St., Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
| | - Farhad Najmeddin
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Porsina St., Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Mojtahedzadeh
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Porsina St., Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran.
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Yamaya M, Kikuchi A, Sugawara M, Nishimura H. Anti-inflammatory effects of medications used for viral infection-induced respiratory diseases. Respir Investig 2023; 61:270-283. [PMID: 36543714 PMCID: PMC9761392 DOI: 10.1016/j.resinv.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Respiratory viruses like rhinovirus, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and coronavirus cause several respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, and coronavirus disease 2019, and exacerbate bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, and diffuse panbronchiolitis. The production of inflammatory mediators and mucin and the accumulation of inflammatory cells have been reported in patients with viral infection-induced respiratory diseases. Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted are produced in the cells, including human airway and alveolar epithelial cells, partly through the activation of toll-like receptors, nuclear factor kappa B and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase. These mediators are associated with the development of viral infection-induced respiratory diseases through the induction of inflammation and injury in the airway and lung, airway remodeling and hyperresponsiveness, and mucus secretion. Medications used to treat respiratory diseases, including corticosteroids, long-acting β2-agonists, long-acting muscarinic antagonists, mucolytic agents, antiviral drugs for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and influenza virus, macrolides, and Kampo medicines, reduce the production of viral infection-induced mediators, including cytokines and mucin, as determined in clinical, in vivo, or in vitro studies. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of these medications on viral infection-induced respiratory diseases may be associated with clinical benefits, such as improvements in symptoms, quality of life, and mortality rate, and can prevent hospitalization and the exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, and diffuse panbronchiolitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mutsuo Yamaya
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan; Virus Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Sendai Medical Center, Sendai 983-8520, Japan; Department of Advanced Preventive Medicine for Infectious Disease, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan.
| | - Akiko Kikuchi
- Department of Kampo and Integrative Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan,Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai 980-8574, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Sugawara
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tohoku Kosai Hospital, Sendai 980-0803, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Nishimura
- Virus Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Sendai Medical Center, Sendai 983-8520, Japan
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A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase II Clinical Study To Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Camostat Mesylate (DWJ1248) in Adult Patients with Mild to Moderate COVID-19. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0045222. [PMID: 36515544 PMCID: PMC9872678 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00452-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Although several antiviral agents have become available for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment, oral drugs are still limited. Camostat mesylate, an orally bioavailable serine protease inhibitor, has been used to treat chronic pancreatitis in South Korea, and it has an in vitro inhibitory potential against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase 2 clinical trial in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients. We randomly assigned patients to receive either camostat mesylate (DWJ1248) or placebo orally for 14 days. The primary endpoint was time to clinical improvement of subject symptoms within 14 days, measured using a subjective 4-point Likert scale. Three hundred forty-two patients were randomized. The primary endpoint was nonsignificant, where the median times to clinical improvement were 7 and 8 days in the camostat mesylate group and the placebo group, respectively (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 to 1.43; P = 0.50). A post hoc analysis showed that the difference was greatest at day 7, without reaching significance. In the high-risk group, the proportions of patients with clinical improvement up to 7 days were 45.8% (50/109) in the camostat group and 38.4% (40/104) in the placebo group (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33; 95% CI, 0.77 to 2.31; P = 0.31); the ordinal scale score at day 7 improved in 20.0% (18/90) of the camostat group and 13.3% (12/90) of the placebo group (OR = 1.68; 95% CI, 0.75 to 3.78; P = 0.21). Adverse events were similar in the two groups. Camostat mesylate was safe in the treatment of COVID-19. Although this study did not show clinical benefit in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, further clinical studies for high-risk patients are needed. (This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT04521296).
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Karimian A, Behjati M, Karimian M. Molecular mechanisms involved in anosmia induced by SARS-CoV-2, with a focus on the transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2. Arch Virol 2022; 167:1931-1946. [PMID: 35939103 PMCID: PMC9358639 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-022-05545-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Since 2020, SARS-CoV-2 has caused a pandemic virus that has posed many challenges worldwide. Infection with this virus can result in a number of symptoms, one of which is anosmia. Olfactory dysfunction can be a temporary or long-term viral complication caused by a disorder of the olfactory neuroepithelium. Processes such as inflammation, apoptosis, and neuronal damage are involved in the development of SARS-CoV-2-induced anosmia. One of the receptors that play a key role in the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell is the transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2, which facilitates this process by cleaving the viral S protein. The gene encoding TMPRSS2 is located on chromosome 21. It contains 15 exons and has many genetic variations, some of which increase the risk of disease. Delta strains have been shown to be more dependent on TMPRSS2 for cell entry than Omicron strains. Blockade of this receptor by serine protease inhibitors such as camostat and nafamostat can be helpful for treating SARS-CoV-2 symptoms, including anosmia. Proper understanding of the different functional aspects of this serine protease can help to overcome the therapeutic challenges of SARS-CoV-2 symptoms, including anosmia. In this review, we describe the cellular and molecular events involved in anosmia induced by SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on the function of the TMPRSS2 receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Karimian
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Science, Kashan, Iran
| | - Mohaddeseh Behjati
- Cellular, Molecular and Genetics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Karimian
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, 47416-95447, Iran.
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11
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Li Y, Chen L, Huang R, Li Y, Yang C, Gui B, Li Y, Liao L, Zhu Z, Wang Y. Grass carp SERPINA1 inhibits GCRV infection through degrading CF2. Front Immunol 2022; 13:969517. [PMID: 36159797 PMCID: PMC9494734 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.969517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
SERPINA1, a member of the serine protease inhibitor family, plays a role in viral infection and inflammation by regulating the activities of serine and cysteine proteases. To date, there have been no reports on the immune function of SERPINA1 in fishes. In this study, we first cloned the serpina1 gene of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and found that it could respond rapidly to the infection of Grass carp reovirus (GCRV), and overexpression of serpina1 could enhance the antiviral response of CIK cells. A polyclonal antibody of SERPINA1 was prepared, and the protein interacting with SERPINA1 was screened by CoIP/MS in grass carp hepatopancreas tissue. It was found that SERPINA1 interacted with coagulation factor 2 (CF2) and could degrade it in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, overexpression of cf2 contributed to the infection of GCRV in CIK cells, whereas co-expression of serpina1 and cf2 in grass carp reduced the copy number of GCRV in cells. The results showed that grass carp SERPINA1 could inhibit GCRV infection by degrading CF2. This study proposes that SERPINA1 can inhibit viral infection through interaction with the coagulation factor, providing new insights into the molecular mechanism of SERPINA1’s antiviral function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liangming Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Rong Huang,
| | - Yangyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Bin Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongming Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Lanjie Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Zuoyan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yaping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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12
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Ong HH, Andiappan AK, Duan K, Lum J, Liu J, Tan KS, Howland S, Lee B, Ong YK, Thong M, Chow VT, Wang DY. Transcriptomics of rhinovirus persistence reveals sustained expression of RIG-I and interferon-stimulated genes in nasal epithelial cells in vitro. Allergy 2022; 77:2778-2793. [PMID: 35274302 DOI: 10.1111/all.15280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are frequently associated with asthma exacerbations, and have been found in the airways of asthmatic patients. While HRV-induced acute infection is well-documented, it is less clear whether the nasal epithelium sustains prolonged HRV infections along with the associated activation of host immune responses. OBJECTIVE To investigate sustainably regulated host responses of human nasal epithelial cells (hNECs) during HRV persistence. METHODS Using a time-course study, HRV16 persistence and viral replication dynamics were established using an in vitro infection model of hNECs. RNA sequencing was performed on hNECs in the early and late stages of infection at 3 and 14 days post-infection (dpi), respectively. The functional enrichment of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was evaluated using gene ontology (GO) and Ingenuity pathway analysis. RESULTS HRV RNA and protein expression persisted throughout prolonged infections, even after decreased production of infectious virus progeny. GO analysis of unique DEGs indicated altered regulation of pathways related to ciliary function and airway remodeling at 3 dpi and serine-type endopeptidase activity at 14 dpi. The functional enrichment of shared DEGs between the two time-points was related to interferon (IFN) and cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptor (PRR) signaling pathways. Validation of the sustained regulation of candidate genes confirmed the persistent expression of RIG-I and revealed its close co-regulation with interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) during HRV persistence. CONCLUSIONS The persistence of HRV RNA does not necessarily indicate an active infection during prolonged infection. The sustained expression of RIG-I and ISGs in response to viral RNA persistence highlights the importance of assessing how immune-activating host factors can change during active HRV infection and the immune regulation that persists thereafter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao Hui Ong
- Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anand Kumar Andiappan
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kaibo Duan
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Josephine Lum
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kai Sen Tan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Biosafety level 3 Core Facility, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shanshan Howland
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bernett Lee
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yew Kwang Ong
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mark Thong
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vincent T Chow
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - De-Yun Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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13
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Vankadari N, Ketavarapu V, Mitnala S, Vishnubotla R, Reddy DN, Ghosal D. Structure of Human TMPRSS2 in Complex with SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein and Implications for Potential Therapeutics. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:5324-5333. [PMID: 35675654 PMCID: PMC9195568 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 520 million people around the globe resulting in more than 6.2 million as of May 2022. Understanding the cell entry mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and its entire repertoire is a high priority for developing improved therapeutics. The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S-protein) engages with host receptor ACE2 for adhesion and serine proteases furin and TMPRSS2 for proteolytic activation and subsequent entry. Recent studies have highlighted the molecular details of furin and S-protein interaction. However, the structural and molecular interplay between TMPRSS2 and S-protein remains enigmatic. Here, using biochemical, structural, computational, and molecular dynamics approaches, we investigated how TMPRSS2 recognizes and activates the S-protein to facilitate viral entry. First, we identified three potential TMPRSS2 cleavage sites in the S2 domain of S-protein (S2', T1, and T2) and reported the structure of TMPRSS2 with its individual catalytic triad. By employing computational modeling and structural analyses, we modeled the macromolecular structure of TMPRSS2 in complex with S-protein, which incited the mechanism of S-protein processing or cleavage for a new path of viral entry. On the basis of structure-guided drug screening, we also report the potential TMPRSS2 inhibitors and their structural interaction in blocking TMPRSS2 activity, which could impede the interaction with the spike protein. These findings reveal the role of TMPRSS2 in the activation of SARS-CoV-2 for its entry and insight into possible intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Vankadari
- Monash
Biomedicine Discovery Institute,
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Vijayasarathy Ketavarapu
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Sasikala Mitnala
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Ravikanth Vishnubotla
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy
- Institute
of Translational Research, Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
| | - Debnath Ghosal
- Department
of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology
Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
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14
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Gorący A, Rosik J, Szostak B, Ustianowski Ł, Ustianowska K, Gorący J. Human Cell Organelles in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: An Up-to-Date Overview. Viruses 2022; 14:v14051092. [PMID: 35632833 PMCID: PMC9144443 DOI: 10.3390/v14051092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the end of 2019, the whole world has been struggling with the life-threatening pandemic amongst all age groups and geographic areas caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has led to more than 468 million cases and over 6 million deaths reported worldwide (as of 20 March 2022), is one of the greatest threats to human health in history. Meanwhile, the lack of specific and irresistible treatment modalities provoked concentrated efforts in scientists around the world. Various mechanisms of cell entry and cellular dysfunction were initially proclaimed. Especially, mitochondria and cell membrane are crucial for the course of infection. The SARS-CoV-2 invasion depends on angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), and cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147), expressed on host cells. Moreover, in this narrative review, we aim to discuss other cell organelles targeted by SARS-CoV-2. Lastly, we briefly summarize the studies on various drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gorący
- Independent Laboratory of Invasive Cardiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (A.G.); (J.G.)
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Jakub Rosik
- Independent Laboratory of Invasive Cardiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (A.G.); (J.G.)
- Department of Physiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (B.S.); (Ł.U.); (K.U.)
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Bartosz Szostak
- Department of Physiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (B.S.); (Ł.U.); (K.U.)
| | - Łukasz Ustianowski
- Department of Physiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (B.S.); (Ł.U.); (K.U.)
| | - Klaudia Ustianowska
- Department of Physiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (B.S.); (Ł.U.); (K.U.)
| | - Jarosław Gorący
- Independent Laboratory of Invasive Cardiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; (A.G.); (J.G.)
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15
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Mantzourani C, Vasilakaki S, Gerogianni VE, Kokotos G. The discovery and development of transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) inhibitors as candidate drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2022; 17:231-246. [PMID: 35072549 PMCID: PMC8862169 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2022.2029843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the devastating pandemic named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Unfortunately, the discovery of antiviral agents to combat COVID-19 is still an unmet need. Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) is an important mediator in viral infection and thus, TMPRRS2 inhibitors may be attractive agents for COVID-19 treatment. AREAS COVERED This review article discusses the role of TMPRSS2 in SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and summarizes the inhibitors of TMPRSS2 and their potential anti-SARS activity. Two known TMPRSS2 inhibitors, namely camostat and nafamostat, approved drugs for the treatment of pancreatitis, are under clinical trials as potential drugs against COVID-19. EXPERT OPINION Due to the lack of the crystal structure of TMPRSS2, homology models have been developed to study the interactions of known inhibitors, including repurposed drugs, with the enzyme. However, novel TMPRSS2 inhibitors have been identified through high-throughput screening, and appropriate assays studying their in vitro activity have been set up. The discovery of TMPRSS2's crystal structure will facilitate the rational design of novel inhibitors and in vivo studies and clinical trials will give a clear answer if TMPRSS2 inhibitors could be a new weapon against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiana Mantzourani
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens, Greece
- Center of Excellence for Drug Design and Discovery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Sofia Vasilakaki
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens, Greece
- Center of Excellence for Drug Design and Discovery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Velisaria-Eleni Gerogianni
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens, Greece
- Center of Excellence for Drug Design and Discovery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - George Kokotos
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens, Greece
- Center of Excellence for Drug Design and Discovery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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16
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Wettstein L, Kirchhoff F, Münch J. The Transmembrane Protease TMPRSS2 as a Therapeutic Target for COVID-19 Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:1351. [PMID: 35163273 PMCID: PMC8836196 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
TMPRSS2 is a type II transmembrane protease with broad expression in epithelial cells of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, the prostate, and other organs. Although the physiological role of TMPRSS2 remains largely elusive, several endogenous substrates have been identified. TMPRSS2 serves as a major cofactor in SARS-CoV-2 entry, and primes glycoproteins of other respiratory viruses as well. Consequently, inhibiting TMPRSS2 activity is a promising strategy to block viral infection. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of TMPRSS2 in the entry processes of different respiratory viruses. We then review the different classes of TMPRSS2 inhibitors and their clinical development, with a focus on COVID-19 treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jan Münch
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (L.W.); (F.K.)
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17
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Cho YS, Shin JG. Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling of nafamostat to support dose selection for treatment of pediatric patients with COVID-19. Transl Clin Pharmacol 2022; 30:24-36. [PMID: 35419314 PMCID: PMC8979760 DOI: 10.12793/tcp.2022.30.e4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are increasing, and severe cases such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome are being reported. Nafamostat, a repurposing drug, is currently being explored for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults. However, the data supporting its exposure in pediatrics remains scarce. Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling enables the prediction of drug exposure in pediatrics based on ontogeny of metabolic enzymes and age dependent anatomical and physiological changes. The study aimed to establish a PBPK model of nafamostat in adults, then scale the adult PBPK model to children for predicting pediatric exposures of nafamostat and an optimal weight-based nafamostat dose in pediatric population. The developed model adequately described adult exposure data in healthy volunteers following i.v. administration with three doses (10, 20, and 40 mg). Scaling adult PBPK models to five pediatric groups predicted that as age advances from neonate to adult, the exposure of nafamostat slightly increased from neonate to infant, steadily decreased from infant to child, and then increased from child to adult after the administration of 0.2 mg/kg/h for 14 days, a dosing regimen being conducted in a clinical trial for COVID-19. Based on the fold change of predicted area under the curve for the respective pediatric group over those of adults, weight-based dosages for each pediatric group may be suggested. The novel PBPK model described in this study may be useful to investigate nafamostat pharmacokinetics in a pediatric subgroup further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Soon Cho
- Center for Personalized Precision Medicine of Tuberculosis (cPMTb), Inje University College of Medicine, Busan 47392, Korea
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, PharmacoGenomics Research Center, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan 47392, Korea
| | - Jae-Gook Shin
- Center for Personalized Precision Medicine of Tuberculosis (cPMTb), Inje University College of Medicine, Busan 47392, Korea
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, PharmacoGenomics Research Center, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan 47392, Korea
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18
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Grau-Expósito J, Perea D, Suppi M, Massana N, Vergara A, Soler MJ, Trinite B, Blanco J, García-Pérez J, Alcamí J, Serrano-Mollar A, Rosado J, Falcó V, Genescà M, Buzon MJ. Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 entry, inflammation and new therapeutics in human lung tissue cells. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010171. [PMID: 35025963 PMCID: PMC8791477 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of physiological models that reproduce SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary human cells will be instrumental to identify host-pathogen interactions and potential therapeutics. Here, using cell suspensions directly from primary human lung tissues (HLT), we have developed a rapid platform for the identification of viral targets and the expression of viral entry factors, as well as for the screening of viral entry inhibitors and anti-inflammatory compounds. The direct use of HLT cells, without long-term cell culture and in vitro differentiation approaches, preserves main immune and structural cell populations, including the most susceptible cell targets for SARS-CoV-2; alveolar type II (AT-II) cells, while maintaining the expression of proteins involved in viral infection, such as ACE2, TMPRSS2, CD147 and AXL. Further, antiviral testing of 39 drug candidates reveals a highly reproducible method, suitable for different SARS-CoV-2 variants, and provides the identification of new compounds missed by conventional systems, such as VeroE6. Using this method, we also show that interferons do not modulate ACE2 expression, and that stimulation of local inflammatory responses can be modulated by different compounds with antiviral activity. Overall, we present a relevant and rapid method for the study of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Grau-Expósito
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Perea
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marina Suppi
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Núria Massana
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ander Vergara
- Nephrology Research Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria José Soler
- Nephrology Research Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Benjamin Trinite
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Can Ruti Campus, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Spain
| | - Julià Blanco
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Can Ruti Campus, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Spain
- University of Vic–Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
| | - Javier García-Pérez
- AIDS Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - José Alcamí
- AIDS Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
- Clinic HIV Unit, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Serrano-Mollar
- Experimental Pathology Department, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IIBB-CSIC), Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Madrid, Spain
| | - Joel Rosado
- Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation Department, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vicenç Falcó
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Meritxell Genescà
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria J. Buzon
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, VHIR Task Force COVID-19, Barcelona, Spain
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19
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Kumar V, Dhanjal JK, Bhargava P, Kaul A, Wang J, Zhang H, Kaul SC, Wadhwa R, Sundar D. Withanone and Withaferin-A are predicted to interact with transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and block entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cells. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 40:1-13. [PMID: 32469279 PMCID: PMC7309304 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1775704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) initiated in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and became pandemic causing high fatality and disrupted normal life calling world almost to a halt. Causative agent is a novel coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV). While new line of drug/vaccine development has been initiated world-wide, in the current scenario of high infected numbers, severity of the disease and high morbidity, repurposing of the existing drugs is heavily explored. Here, we used a homology-based structural model of transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), a cell surface receptor, required for entry of virus to the target host cell. Using the strengths of molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, we examined the binding potential of Withaferin-A (Wi-A), Withanone (Wi-N) and caffeic acid phenethyl ester to TPMRSS2 in comparison to its known inhibitor, Camostat mesylate. We found that both Wi-A and Wi-N could bind and stably interact at the catalytic site of TMPRSS2. Wi-N showed stronger interactions with TMPRSS2 catalytic residues than Wi-A and was also able to induce changes in its allosteric site. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of Wi-N on TMPRSS2 expression in MCF7 cells and found remarkable downregulation of TMPRSS2 mRNA in treated cells predicting dual action of Wi-N to block SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cells. Since the natural compounds are easily available/affordable, they may even offer a timely therapeutic/preventive value for the management of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We also report that Wi-A/Wi-N content varies in different parts of Ashwagandha and warrants careful attention for their use.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vipul Kumar
- DAILAB, Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Jaspreet Kaur Dhanjal
- AIST-INDIA DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Center for Translational & Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Priyanshu Bhargava
- AIST-INDIA DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Center for Translational & Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ashish Kaul
- AIST-INDIA DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Center for Translational & Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Jia Wang
- AIST-INDIA DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Center for Translational & Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Huayue Zhang
- AIST-INDIA DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Center for Translational & Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Sunil C. Kaul
- AIST-INDIA DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Center for Translational & Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Renu Wadhwa
- AIST-INDIA DAILAB, DBT-AIST International Center for Translational & Environmental Research (DAICENTER), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Durai Sundar
- DAILAB, Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, New Delhi, India
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20
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Enzyme inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy to treat COVID-19 infection. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 48:116389. [PMID: 34543844 PMCID: PMC8448535 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
With the emergence of the third infectious and virulent coronavirus within the past two decades, it has become increasingly important to understand how the virus causes infection. This will inform therapeutic strategies that target vulnerabilities in the vital processes through which the virus enters cells. This review identifies enzymes responsible for SARS-CoV-2 viral entry into cells (ACE2, Furin, TMPRSS2) and discuss compounds proposed to inhibit viral entry with the end goal of treating COVID-19 infection. We argue that TMPRSS2 inhibitors show the most promise in potentially treating COVID-19, in addition to being a pre-existing medication with fewer predicted side-effects.
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21
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Sato K, Hayashi H, Shimotai Y, Yamaya M, Hongo S, Kawakami K, Matsuzaki Y, Nishimura H. TMPRSS2 Activates Hemagglutinin-Esterase Glycoprotein of Influenza C Virus. J Virol 2021; 95:e0129621. [PMID: 34406864 PMCID: PMC8513465 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01296-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Influenza C virus (ICV) has only one kind of spike protein, the hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) glycoprotein. HE functions similarly to hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase of the influenza A and B viruses (IAV and IBV, respectively). It has a monobasic site, which is cleaved by some host enzymes. The cleavage is essential to activating the virus, but the enzyme or enzymes in the respiratory tract have not been identified. This study investigated whether the host serine proteases, transmembrane protease serine S1 member 2 (TMPRSS2) and human airway trypsin-like protease (HAT), which reportedly cleave HA of IAV/IBV, are involved in HE cleavage. We established TMPRSS2- and HAT-expressing MDCK cells (MDCK-TMPRSS2 and MDCK-HAT). ICV showed multicycle replication with HE cleavage without trypsin in MDCK-TMPRSS2 cells as well as IAV did. The HE cleavage and multicycle replication did not appear in MDCK-HAT cells infected with ICV without trypsin, while HA cleavage and multistep growth of IAV appeared in the cells. Amino acid sequences of the HE cleavage site in 352 ICV strains were completely preserved. Camostat and nafamostat suppressed the growth of ICV and IAV in human nasal surface epithelial (HNE) cells. Therefore, this study revealed that, at least, TMPRSS2 is involved in HE cleavage and suggested that nafamostat could be a candidate for therapeutic drugs for ICV infection. IMPORTANCE Influenza C virus (ICV) is a pathogen that causes acute respiratory illness, mostly in children, but there are no anti-ICV drugs. ICV has only one kind of spike protein, the hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) glycoprotein on the virion surface, which possesses receptor-binding, receptor-destroying, and membrane fusion activities. The HE cleavage is essential for the virus to be activated, but the enzyme or enzymes in the respiratory tract have not been identified. This study revealed that transmembrane protease serine S1 member 2 (TMPRSS2), and not human airway trypsin-like protease (HAT), is involved in HE cleavage. This is a novel study on the host enzymes involved in HE cleavage, and the result suggests that the host enzymes, such as TMPRSS2, may be a target for therapeutic drugs of ICV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ko Sato
- Virus Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Sendai Medical Center, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Mycology and Immunology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Department of Intelligent Network for Infection Control, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Hideki Hayashi
- Medical University Research Administrator, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Shimotai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Iida-Nishi, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Mutsuo Yamaya
- Department of Advanced Preventive Medicine for Infectious Disease, Tohoku University Graduate school of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Seiji Hongo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Iida-Nishi, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Kawakami
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Mycology and Immunology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
- Department of Intelligent Network for Infection Control, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Yoko Matsuzaki
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Iida-Nishi, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Nishimura
- Virus Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Sendai Medical Center, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
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22
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Cicconetti F, Sestili P, Madiai V, Albertini MC, Campanella L, Coppari S, Fraternale D, Saunders B, Teodori L. Extracellular pH, osmolarity, temperature and humidity could discourage SARS-CoV-2 cell docking and propagation via intercellular signaling pathways. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12227. [PMID: 34721966 PMCID: PMC8515994 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and its virus variants continue to pose a serious and long-lasting threat worldwide. To combat the pandemic, the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign is currently ongoing. As of July 19th 2021, 26.2% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (1.04 billion), and one billion has been fully vaccinated, with very high vaccination rates in countries like Israel, Malta, and the UEA. Conversely, only 1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose with examples of vaccination frequency as low as 0.07% in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is thus of paramount importance that more research on alternate methods to counter cell infection and propagation is undertaken that could be implemented in low-income countries. Moreover, an adjunctive therapeutic intervention would help to avoid disease exacerbation in high-rate vaccinated countries too. Based on experimental biochemical evidence on viral cell fusion and propagation, herein we identify (i) extracellular pH (epH), (ii) temperature, and (iii) humidity and osmolarity as critical factors. These factors are here in discussed along with their implications on mucus thick layer, proteases, abundance of sialic acid, vascular permeability and exudate/edema. Heated, humidified air containing sodium bicarbonate has long been used in the treatment of certain diseases, and here we argue that warm inhalation of sodium bicarbonate might successfully target these endpoints. Although we highlight the molecular/cellular basis and the signalling pathways to support this intervention, we underscore the need for clinical investigations to encourage further research and clinical trials. In addition, we think that such an approach is also important in light of the high mutation rate of this virus originating from a rapid increase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franco Cicconetti
- Department of Emergency DEA-Surgery, University of Roma “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy
| | - Piero Sestili
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Valeria Madiai
- Laboratory of Diagnostics and Metrology, FSN-TECFIS-DIM, ENEA, Frascati-Rome, Italy
| | | | - Luigi Campanella
- Department of Chemistry, University of Roma “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy
| | - Sofia Coppari
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Daniele Fraternale
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Bryan Saunders
- Applied Physiology and Nutrition Research Group, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine FMUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Laura Teodori
- Laboratory of Diagnostics and Metrology, FSN-TECFIS-DIM, ENEA, Frascati-Rome, Italy
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23
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Yuan L, Li M, Zhang Z, Li W, Jin W, Wang M. Camostat mesilate inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and improves cell viability by regulating MFGE8 and HMGN1 in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12053. [PMID: 34527443 PMCID: PMC8403478 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Camostat mesilate (CM) possesses potential anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activities. However, it remains unknown whether CM is involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammatory responses and cell injury. In this project, differentially expressed proteins (DEPs, fold change ≥ 1.2 or ≤ 0.83 and Q value ≤ 0.05) in response to LPS stimulation alone or in combination with CM were identified through tandem mass tags (TMT)/mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics analysis in DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts. The mRNA expression levels of filtered genes were determined by RT-qPCR assay. The results showed that CM alleviated the detrimental effect of LPS on cell viability and inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-6 secretions in DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts. A total of 141 DEPs that might be involved in mediating functions of both LPS and CM were identified by proteomics analysis in DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts. LPS inhibited milk fat globule EGF and factor V/VIII domain containing (MFGE8) expression and induced high mobility group nucleosome binding domain 1 (HMGN1) expression, while these effects were abrogated by CM in DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts. MFGE8 knockdown facilitated TNF-α and IL-6 secretions , reduced cell viability, stimulated cell apoptosis in DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts co-treated with LPS and CM. HMGN1 loss did not influence TNF-α and IL-6 secretions, cell viability, and cell apoptosis in DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts co-treated with LPS and CM. In conclusion, CM exerted anti-inflammatory and pro-survival activities by regulating MFGE8 in LPS-stimulated DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblasts, deepening our understanding of the roles and molecular basis of CM in protecting against Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yuan
- Henan Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Breeding and Nutritional Regulation, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Mengjie Li
- Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Longting District, Kaifeng, Henan, China
| | - Zhishuai Zhang
- Henan Institute of Animal Health Supervision, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Wanli Li
- Henan Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Breeding and Nutritional Regulation, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Wei Jin
- Henan Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Breeding and Nutritional Regulation, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Mingfa Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Breeding and Nutritional Regulation, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
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24
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Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant morbidity and mortality on a global scale. The etiologic agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), initiates host cell entry when its spike protein (S) binds to its receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). In airway epithelia, the spike protein is cleaved by the cell surface protease TMPRSS2, facilitating membrane fusion and entry at the cell surface. This dependence on TMPRSS2 and related proteases suggests that protease inhibitors might limit SARS-CoV-2 infection in the respiratory tract. Here, we tested two serine protease inhibitors, camostat mesylate and nafamostat mesylate, for their ability to inhibit entry of SARS-CoV-2 and that of a second pathogenic coronavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Both camostat and nafamostat reduced infection in primary human airway epithelia and in the Calu-3 2B4 cell line, with nafamostat exhibiting greater potency. We then assessed whether nafamostat was protective against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo using two mouse models. In mice sensitized to SARS-CoV-2 infection by transduction with human ACE2, intranasal nafamostat treatment prior to or shortly after SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly reduced weight loss and lung tissue titers. Similarly, prophylactic intranasal treatment with nafamostat reduced weight loss, viral burden, and mortality in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. These findings establish nafamostat as a candidate for the prevention or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease pathogenesis.
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25
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Sarker J, Das P, Sarker S, Roy AK, Momen AZMR. A Review on Expression, Pathological Roles, and Inhibition of TMPRSS2, the Serine Protease Responsible for SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Activation. SCIENTIFICA 2021; 2021:2706789. [PMID: 34336361 PMCID: PMC8313365 DOI: 10.1155/2021/2706789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, uses the host cell membrane receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for anchoring its spike protein, and the subsequent membrane fusion process is facilitated by host membrane proteases. Recent studies have shown that transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), a protease known for similar role in previous coronavirus infections, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), is responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, enabling host cell fusion of the virus. TMPRSS2 is known to be expressed in the epithelial cells of different sites including gastrointestinal, respiratory, and genitourinary system. The infection site of the SARS-CoV-2 correlates with the coexpression sites of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Besides, age-, sex-, and comorbidity-associated variation in infection rate correlates with the expression rate of TMPRSS2 in those groups. These findings provide valid reasons for the assumption that inhibiting TMPRSS2 can have a beneficial effect in reducing the cellular entry of the virus, ultimately affecting the infection rate and case severity. Several drug development studies are going on to develop potential inhibitors of the protease, using both conventional and computational approaches. Complete understanding of the biological roles of TMPRSS2 is necessary before such therapies are applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyotirmoy Sarker
- Department of Pharmacy, Jagannath University, Dhaka 1100, Bangladesh
- Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Pritha Das
- Independent Author, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Sabarni Sarker
- Department of Pharmacy, Jagannath University, Dhaka 1100, Bangladesh
| | - Apurba Kumar Roy
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
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26
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Gard AL, Luu RJ, Miller CR, Maloney R, Cain BP, Marr EE, Burns DM, Gaibler R, Mulhern TJ, Wong CA, Alladina J, Coppeta JR, Liu P, Wang JP, Azizgolshani H, Fezzie RF, Balestrini JL, Isenberg BC, Medoff BD, Finberg RW, Borenstein JT. High-throughput human primary cell-based airway model for evaluating influenza, coronavirus, or other respiratory viruses in vitro. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14961. [PMID: 34294757 PMCID: PMC8298517 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94095-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza and other respiratory viruses present a significant threat to public health, national security, and the world economy, and can lead to the emergence of global pandemics such as from COVID-19. A barrier to the development of effective therapeutics is the absence of a robust and predictive preclinical model, with most studies relying on a combination of in vitro screening with immortalized cell lines and low-throughput animal models. Here, we integrate human primary airway epithelial cells into a custom-engineered 96-device platform (PREDICT96-ALI) in which tissues are cultured in an array of microchannel-based culture chambers at an air-liquid interface, in a configuration compatible with high resolution in-situ imaging and real-time sensing. We apply this platform to influenza A virus and coronavirus infections, evaluating viral infection kinetics and antiviral agent dosing across multiple strains and donor populations of human primary cells. Human coronaviruses HCoV-NL63 and SARS-CoV-2 enter host cells via ACE2 and utilize the protease TMPRSS2 for spike protein priming, and we confirm their expression, demonstrate infection across a range of multiplicities of infection, and evaluate the efficacy of camostat mesylate, a known inhibitor of HCoV-NL63 infection. This new capability can be used to address a major gap in the rapid assessment of therapeutic efficacy of small molecules and antiviral agents against influenza and other respiratory viruses including coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Gard
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - R J Luu
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - C R Miller
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - R Maloney
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - B P Cain
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - E E Marr
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - D M Burns
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - R Gaibler
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - T J Mulhern
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - C A Wong
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - J Alladina
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J R Coppeta
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - P Liu
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - J P Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - H Azizgolshani
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | | | - J L Balestrini
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - B C Isenberg
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - B D Medoff
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - R W Finberg
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - J T Borenstein
- Bioengineering Division, Draper, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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27
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Nickols NG, Goetz MB, Graber CJ, Bhattacharya D, Soo Hoo G, Might M, Goldstein DB, Wang X, Ramoni R, Myrie K, Tran S, Ghayouri L, Tsai S, Geelhoed M, Makarov D, Becker DJ, Tsay JC, Diamond M, George A, Al-Ajam M, Belligund P, Montgomery RB, Mostaghel EA, Sulpizio C, Mi Z, Dematt E, Tadalan J, Norman LE, Briones D, Clise CE, Taylor ZW, Huminik JR, Biswas K, Rettig MB. Hormonal intervention for the treatment of veterans with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization (HITCH): a multicenter, phase 2 randomized controlled trial of best supportive care vs best supportive care plus degarelix: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2021; 22:431. [PMID: 34225789 PMCID: PMC8256647 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05389-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Therapeutic targeting of host-cell factors required for SARS-CoV-2 entry is an alternative strategy to ameliorate COVID-19 severity. SARS-CoV-2 entry into lung epithelium requires the TMPRSS2 cell surface protease. Pre-clinical and correlative data in humans suggest that anti-androgenic therapies can reduce the expression of TMPRSS2 on lung epithelium. Accordingly, we hypothesize that therapeutic targeting of androgen receptor signaling via degarelix, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) antagonist, will suppress COVID-19 infection and ameliorate symptom severity. Methods This is a randomized phase 2, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial in 198 patients to compare efficacy of degarelix plus best supportive care versus placebo plus best supportive care on improving the clinical outcomes of male Veterans who have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. Enrolled patients must have documented infection with SARS-CoV-2 based on a positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction result performed on a nasopharyngeal swab and have a severity of illness of level 3–5 (hospitalized but not requiring invasive mechanical ventilation). Patients stratified by age, history of hypertension, and severity are centrally randomized 2:1 (degarelix: placebo). The composite primary endpoint is mortality, ongoing need for hospitalization, or requirement for mechanical ventilation at 15 after randomization. Important secondary endpoints include time to clinical improvement, inpatient mortality, length of hospitalization, duration of mechanical ventilation, time to achieve a normal temperature, and the maximum severity of COVID-19 illness. Exploratory analyses aim to assess the association of cytokines, viral load, and various comorbidities with outcome. In addition, TMPRSS2 expression in target tissue and development of anti-viral antibodies will also be investigated. Discussion In this trial, we repurpose the FDA approved LHRH antagonist degarelix, commonly used for prostate cancer, to suppress TMPRSS2, a host cell surface protease required for SARS-CoV-2 cell entry. The objective is to determine if temporary androgen suppression with a single dose of degarelix improves the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04397718. Registered on May 21, 2020
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas G Nickols
- Radiation Oncology Service, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Matthew B Goetz
- Infectious Diseases Section, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Christopher J Graber
- Infectious Diseases Section, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Debika Bhattacharya
- Infectious Diseases Section, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Guy Soo Hoo
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Matthew Might
- Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - David B Goldstein
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Xinchen Wang
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Rachel Ramoni
- Office of Research and Development, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Kenute Myrie
- Office of Research and Development, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Samantha Tran
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Leila Ghayouri
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Sonny Tsai
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Michelle Geelhoed
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
| | - Danil Makarov
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, USA
| | - Daniel J Becker
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, USA.,Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, USA
| | - Jun-Chieh Tsay
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, USA
| | - Melissa Diamond
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, USA
| | - Asha George
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, USA
| | - Mohammad Al-Ajam
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, USA
| | - Pooja Belligund
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, USA
| | - R Bruce Montgomery
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, USA
| | - Elahe A Mostaghel
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Care (GRECC), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, USA
| | - Carlie Sulpizio
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, USA
| | - Zhibao Mi
- VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Point, Perry, MD, USA
| | - Ellen Dematt
- VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Point, Perry, MD, USA
| | - Joseph Tadalan
- VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Point, Perry, MD, USA
| | - Leslie E Norman
- VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Point, Perry, MD, USA
| | - Daniel Briones
- VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Point, Perry, MD, USA
| | - Christina E Clise
- VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Point, Perry, MD, USA
| | - Zachary W Taylor
- VA Cooperative Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Huminik
- VA Cooperative Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Kousick Biswas
- VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Point, Perry, MD, USA
| | - Matthew B Rettig
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA.
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28
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Yamaya M, Shimotai Y, Ohkawara A, Bazarragchaa E, Okamatsu M, Sakoda Y, Kida H, Nishimura H. The clinically used serine protease inhibitor nafamostat reduces influenza virus replication and cytokine production in human airway epithelial cells and viral replication in mice. J Med Virol 2021; 93:3484-3495. [PMID: 33247612 PMCID: PMC7753675 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.26700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The effects of the clinically used protease inhibitor nafamostat on influenza virus replication have not been well studied. Primary human tracheal (HTE) and nasal (HNE) epithelial cells were pretreated with nafamostat and infected with the 2009 pandemic [A/Sendai-H/108/2009/(H1N1) pdm09] or seasonal [A/New York/55/2004(H3N2)] influenza virus. Pretreatment with nafamostat reduced the titers of the pandemic and seasonal influenza viruses and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, in the supernatants of the cells infected with the pandemic influenza virus. HTE and HNE cells exhibited mRNA and/or protein expression of transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), TMPRSS4, and TMPRSS11D. Pretreatment with nafamostat reduced cleavage of the precursor protein HA0 of the pandemic influenza virus into subunit HA1 in HTE cells and reduced the number of acidic endosomes in HTE and HNE cells where influenza virus RNA enters the cytoplasm. Additionally, nafamostat (30 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneal administration) reduced the levels of the pandemic influenza virus [A/Hyogo/YS/2011 (H1N1) pdm09] in mouse lung washes. These findings suggest that nafamostat may inhibit influenza virus replication in human airway epithelial cells and mouse lungs and reduce infection-induced airway inflammation by modulating cytokine production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mutsuo Yamaya
- Virus Research Center, Clinical Research DivisionSendai Medical CenterSendaiJapan
- Department of Respiratory MedicineTohoku University Graduate School of MedicineSendaiJapan
| | - Yoshitaka Shimotai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of MedicineYamagata UniversityYamagataJapan
| | - Ayako Ohkawara
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Enkhbold Bazarragchaa
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Masatoshi Okamatsu
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Yoshihiro Sakoda
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
- Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI‐CoRE)Hokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Hiroshi Kida
- Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI‐CoRE)Hokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
- Research Center for Zoonosis ControlHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Hidekazu Nishimura
- Virus Research Center, Clinical Research DivisionSendai Medical CenterSendaiJapan
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29
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Carroll EL, Bailo M, Reihill JA, Crilly A, Lockhart JC, Litherland GJ, Lundy FT, McGarvey LP, Hollywood MA, Martin SL. Trypsin-Like Proteases and Their Role in Muco-Obstructive Lung Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5817. [PMID: 34072295 PMCID: PMC8199346 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypsin-like proteases (TLPs) belong to a family of serine enzymes with primary substrate specificities for the basic residues, lysine and arginine, in the P1 position. Whilst initially perceived as soluble enzymes that are extracellularly secreted, a number of novel TLPs that are anchored in the cell membrane have since been discovered. Muco-obstructive lung diseases (MucOLDs) are characterised by the accumulation of hyper-concentrated mucus in the small airways, leading to persistent inflammation, infection and dysregulated protease activity. Although neutrophilic serine proteases, particularly neutrophil elastase, have been implicated in the propagation of inflammation and local tissue destruction, it is likely that the serine TLPs also contribute to various disease-relevant processes given the roles that a number of these enzymes play in the activation of both the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2). More recently, significant attention has focused on the activation of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 by host TLPs. The purpose of this review was to highlight key TLPs linked to the activation of ENaC and PAR2 and their association with airway dehydration and inflammatory signalling pathways, respectively. The role of TLPs in viral infectivity will also be discussed in the context of the inhibition of TLP activities and the potential of these proteases as therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Carroll
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (E.L.C.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Mariarca Bailo
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK; (M.B.); (A.C.); (J.C.L.); (G.J.L.)
| | - James A. Reihill
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (E.L.C.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Anne Crilly
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK; (M.B.); (A.C.); (J.C.L.); (G.J.L.)
| | - John C. Lockhart
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK; (M.B.); (A.C.); (J.C.L.); (G.J.L.)
| | - Gary J. Litherland
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK; (M.B.); (A.C.); (J.C.L.); (G.J.L.)
| | - Fionnuala T. Lundy
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (F.T.L.); (L.P.M.)
| | - Lorcan P. McGarvey
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (F.T.L.); (L.P.M.)
| | - Mark A. Hollywood
- Smooth Muscle Research Centre, Dundalk Institute of Technology, A91 HRK2 Dundalk, Ireland;
| | - S. Lorraine Martin
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (E.L.C.); (J.A.R.)
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Müller P, Maus H, Hammerschmidt SJ, Knaff P, Mailänder V, Schirmeister T, Kersten C. Interfering with Host Proteases in SARS-CoV-2 Entry as a Promising Therapeutic Strategy. Curr Med Chem 2021; 29:635-665. [PMID: 34042026 DOI: 10.2174/0929867328666210526111318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Due to its fast international spread and substantial mortality, the coronavirus disease COVID-19 evolved to a global threat. Since currently, there is no causative drug against this viral infection available, science is striving for new drugs and approaches to treat the new disease. Studies have shown that the cell entry of coronaviruses into host cells takes place through the binding of the viral spike (S) protein to cell receptors. Priming of the S protein occurs via hydrolysis by different host proteases. The inhibition of these proteases could impair the processing of the S protein, thereby affecting the interaction with the host-cell receptors and preventing virus cell entry. Hence, inhibition of these proteases could be a promising strategy for treatment against SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we discuss the current state of the art of developing inhibitors against the entry proteases furin, the transmembrane serine protease type-II (TMPRSS2), trypsin, and cathepsin L.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Müller
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Hannah Maus
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan Josef Hammerschmidt
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Philip Knaff
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Volker Mailänder
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Christian Kersten
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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Host serine proteases TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS11D mediate proteolytic activation and trypsin-independent infection in group A rotaviruses. J Virol 2021; 95:JVI.00398-21. [PMID: 33762412 PMCID: PMC8139689 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00398-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) are representative enteric virus species and major causes of diarrhea in humans and animals. The RVA virion is a triple-layered particle, and the outermost layer consists of the glycoprotein VP7 and spike protein VP4. To increase the infectivity of RVA, VP4 is proteolytically cleaved into VP5* and VP8* subunits by trypsin; and these subunits form a rigid spike structure on the virion surface. In this study, we investigated the growth of RVAs in cells transduced with type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs), which cleave fusion proteins and promote infection by respiratory viruses, such as influenza viruses, paramyxoviruses, and coronaviruses. We identified TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS11D as host TTSPs that mediate trypsin-independent and multi-cycle infection by human and animal RVA strains. In vitro cleavage assays revealed that recombinant TMPRSS11D cleaved RVA VP4. We also found that TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS11D promote the infectious entry of immature RVA virions, but they could not activate nascent progeny virions in the late phase of infection. This observation differed from the TTSP-mediated activation process of paramyxoviruses, revealing the existence of virus species-specific activation processes in TTSPs. Our study provides new insights into the interaction between RVAs and host factors, and TTSP-transduced cells offer potential advantages for RVA research and development.ImportanceProteolytic cleavage of the viral VP4 protein is essential for virion maturation and infectivity in group A rotaviruses (RVAs). In cell culture, RVAs are propagated in culture medium supplemented with the exogenous protease trypsin, which cleaves VP4 and induces the maturation of progeny RVA virions. In this study, we demonstrated that the host proteases TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS11D mediate the trypsin-independent infection and growth of RVA. Our data revealed that the proteolytic activation of RVAs by TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS11D occurs at the viral entry step. Because TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS11D gene expression induced similar or higher levels of RVA growth as trypsin-supplemented culture, this approach offers potential advantages for RVA research and development.
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Li X, Peng T. Strategy, Progress, and Challenges of Drug Repurposing for Efficient Antiviral Discovery. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:660710. [PMID: 34017257 PMCID: PMC8129523 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.660710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging or re-emerging viruses are still major threats to public health. Prophylactic vaccines represent the most effective way to prevent virus infection; however, antivirals are more promising for those viruses against which vaccines are not effective enough or contemporarily unavailable. Because of the slow pace of novel antiviral discovery, the high disuse rates, and the substantial cost, repurposing of the well-characterized therapeutics, either approved or under investigation, is becoming an attractive strategy to identify the new directions to treat virus infections. In this review, we described recent progress in identifying broad-spectrum antivirals through drug repurposing. We defined the two major categories of the repurposed antivirals, direct-acting repurposed antivirals (DARA) and host-targeting repurposed antivirals (HTRA). Under each category, we summarized repurposed antivirals with potential broad-spectrum activity against a variety of viruses and discussed the possible mechanisms of action. Finally, we proposed the potential investigative directions of drug repurposing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinlei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, College of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, College of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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SARS-CoV-2 infection and smoking: What is the association? A brief review. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:1654-1660. [PMID: 33777332 PMCID: PMC7985684 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The link between smoking and the expression of SARS-CoV-2 key entry genes is discussed. Smoking-related cardiac and respiratory diseases are risk factors for COVID-19. The impact of smoking on ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 receptors expression is controversial.
Susceptibility to severe illness from COVID-19 is anticipated to be associated with cigarette smoking as it aggravates the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory illness, including infections. This is particularly important with the advent of a new strain of coronaviruses, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that has led to the present pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although, the effects of smoking on COVID-19 are less described and controversial, we presume a link between smoking and COVID-19. Smoking has been shown to enhance the expression of the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) key entry genes utilized by SARS-CoV-2 to infect cells and induce a ‘cytokine storm’, which further increases the severity of COVID-19 clinical course. Nevertheless, the impact of smoking on ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 receptors expression remains paradoxical. Thus, further research is necessary to unravel the association between smoking and COVID-19 and to pursue the development of potential novel therapies that are able to constrain the morbidity and mortality provoked by this infectious disease. Herein we present a brief overview of the current knowledge on the correlation between smoking and the expression of SARS-CoV-2 key entry genes, clinical manifestations, and disease progression.
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Key Words
- ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2
- ACEIs, Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors
- ADAM17, ADAM metallopeptidase domain 17
- ALCAM, activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule
- ARBs, angiotensin receptor blockers
- ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Ang, angiotensin
- BatCoV, bat coronavirus
- CLDN7, claudin 7
- COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- COVID-19
- COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019
- CTNNB1, catenin beta 1
- Coronavirus
- ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinases
- HDAC6, histone deacetylase 6
- HIV-1, human immunodeficiency virus 1
- IFN, Interferons
- IPF, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- IR, Ionizing radiation
- JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase
- Lung disease
- MCN, mucin
- MERS, middle-East respiratory syndrome
- NO, nitric oxide
- Oral disease
- R0, R-nought
- RAS, renin-angiotensin
- RR, relative risk
- SARS-CoV-2
- SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- Smoking
- TJP3, tight junction protein 3
- TMPRSS, transmembrane serine protease
- hrsACE2, human recombinant soluble ACE-2
- nAChR, α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
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Latino I, Gonzalez SF. Spatio-temporal profile of innate inflammatory cells and mediators during influenza virus infection. CURRENT OPINION IN PHYSIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2020.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Tuli HS, Sood S, Kaur J, Kumar P, Seth P, Punia S, Yadav P, Sharma AK, Aggarwal D, Sak K. Mechanistic insight into anti-COVID-19 drugs: recent trends and advancements. 3 Biotech 2021; 11:110. [PMID: 33552835 PMCID: PMC7851641 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-021-02644-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been established now to be a deadly disease afflicting the whole world with worst consequences on healthcare, economy and day-to-day life activities. Being a communicable disease, which is highly pathogenic in humans, causing cough, throat infection, breathing problems, high fever, muscle pain, and may lead to death in some cases especially those having other comorbid conditions such as heart or kidney problems, and diabetes. Finding an appropriate drug and vaccine candidate against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) remains an ultimate and immediate goal for the global scientific community. Based on previous studies in the literature on SARS-CoV infection, there are a number of drugs that may inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and its infection. Such drugs comprise of inhibitors of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2), nonstructural protein 3C-like protease, nonstructural RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and many more. The antiviral drugs such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and ritonavir as inhibitors for HIV protease, nucleotide analogue remdesivir, and broad-spectrum antiviral drugs are available to treat the SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Therefore, this review article is planned to gain insight into the mechanism for blocking the entry of SARS-CoV-2, its validation, other inhibition mechanisms, and development of therapeutic drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hardeep Singh Tuli
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed To Be University), Mullana, Ambala, 133207 India
| | - Shivani Sood
- Department of Biotechnology, Mukand Lal National College, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana India
| | - Jagjit Kaur
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, ARC Centre of Excellence in Nanoscale Biophotonics (CNBP), Faculty of Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052 Australia
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organisation (ARO), The Volcani Center, 7505101 Rishon LeZion, Israel
| | - Prachi Seth
- Department of Biotechnology, Mukand Lal National College, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana India
| | - Sandeep Punia
- Department of Biotechnology, Multani Mal Modi College, Patiala, India
| | - Priya Yadav
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed To Be University), Mullana, Ambala, 133207 India
| | - Anil Kumar Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed To Be University), Mullana, Ambala, 133207 India
| | - Diwakar Aggarwal
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed To Be University), Mullana, Ambala, 133207 India
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El‐Shimy IA, Mohamed MMA, Hasan SS, Hadi MA. Targeting host cell proteases as a potential treatment strategy to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the respiratory tract. Pharmacol Res Perspect 2021; 9:e00698. [PMID: 33369210 PMCID: PMC7758277 DOI: 10.1002/prp2.698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
As the death toll of Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) continues to rise worldwide, it is imperative to explore novel molecular mechanisms for targeting SARS-CoV-2. Rather than looking for drugs that directly interact with key viral proteins inhibiting its replication, an alternative and possibly add-on approach is to dismantle the host cell machinery that enables the virus to infect the host cell and spread from one cell to another. Excellent examples of such machinery are host cell proteases whose role in viral pathogenesis has been demonstrated in numerous coronaviruses. In this review, we propose two therapeutic modalities to tackle SARS-CoV-2 infections; the first is to transcriptionally modulate the expression of cellular proteases and their endogenous inhibitors and the second is to directly inhibit their enzymatic activity. We present a nonexhaustive collection of clinically investigated drugs that act by one of these mechanisms and thus represent promising candidates for preclinical in vitro testing and hopefully clinical testing in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismail A. El‐Shimy
- Integrative Research Institute (IRI) for Life SciencesHumboldt University BerlinBerlinGermany
- Institute of PathologyCharité ‐ Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
| | | | | | - Muhammad A. Hadi
- School of PharmacyCollege of Medical and Dental SciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
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Dastidar MG, Roy S. Public health management during COVID-19 and applications of point-of-care based biomolecular detection approaches. ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19 ) 2021. [PMCID: PMC8237533 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-85780-2.00009-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of the novel human coronavirus, characterized as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to a worldwide pandemic. The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was first reported at a local wet market in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of China at a local wet market. This virus is highly contagious, which gives it the potential for rapid transmission across the world. The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 can be triggered via respiratory droplets in the air from an infected individual to a healthy individual. Thus, to restrict the transmission of the virus, proper public health management and early diagnosis of infected individual is extremely essential. Considering this, the development of various point-of-care (POC) biomolecular assays lead to the importance of early diagnoses at a larger scale during this pandemic situation. Detecting a minimum level of specific target analytes to a particular disease with less instrumentation and minimum reagents, as well as immidiate outcomes, has appeared a challenging path for researchers. Apart from early-stage diagnosis, public awareness is also important to prevent the spread of the virus. Proper intensive care units, isolation rooms, maintaining hygiene, and wearing masks in public areas are necessary. In this chapter, we have discussed the public health management steps and current clinical diagnostics processes and various advanced technology including, molecular, serological, and nanobiosensing approaches for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Furthermore, we have highlighted the various challenges and limitations associated with health management and early diagnostics technologies during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Additionally, we have summarized various technical aspects of the development of such POC strategies including biomarkers selections, sensing platforms, unit fabrication, and device incorporation.
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Bai X, Hippensteel J, Leavitt A, Maloney JP, Beckham D, Garcia C, Li Q, Freed BM, Ordway D, Sandhaus RA, Chan ED. Hypothesis: Alpha-1-antitrypsin is a promising treatment option for COVID-19. Med Hypotheses 2021; 146:110394. [PMID: 33239231 PMCID: PMC7659642 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
No definitive treatment for COVID-19 exists although promising results have been reported with remdesivir and glucocorticoids. Short of a truly effective preventive or curative vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, it is becoming increasingly clear that multiple pathophysiologic processes seen with COVID-19 as well as SARS-CoV-2 itself should be targeted. Because alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) embraces a panoply of biologic activities that may antagonize several pathophysiologic mechanisms induced by SARS-CoV-2, we hypothesize that this naturally occurring molecule is a promising agent to ameliorate COVID-19. We posit at least seven different mechanisms by which AAT may alleviate COVID-19. First, AAT is a serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) shown to inhibit TMPRSS-2, the host serine protease that cleaves the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, a necessary preparatory step for the virus to bind its cell surface receptor ACE2 to gain intracellular entry. Second, AAT has anti-viral activity against other RNA viruses HIV and influenza as well as induces autophagy, a known host effector mechanism against MERS-CoV, a related coronavirus that causes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Third, AAT has potent anti-inflammatory properties, in part through inhibiting both nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB) activation and ADAM17 (also known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme), and thus may dampen the hyper-inflammatory response of COVID-19. Fourth, AAT inhibits neutrophil elastase, a serine protease that helps recruit potentially injurious neutrophils and implicated in acute lung injury. AAT inhibition of ADAM17 also prevents shedding of ACE2 and hence may preserve ACE2 inhibition of bradykinin, reducing the ability of bradykinin to cause a capillary leak in COVID-19. Fifth, AAT inhibits thrombin, and venous thromboembolism and in situ microthrombi and macrothrombi are increasingly implicated in COVID-19. Sixth, AAT inhibition of elastase can antagonize the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), a complex extracellular structure comprised of neutrophil-derived DNA, histones, and proteases, and implicated in the immunothrombosis of COVID-19; indeed, AAT has been shown to change the shape and adherence of non-COVID-19-related NETs. Seventh, AAT inhibition of endothelial cell apoptosis may limit the endothelial injury linked to severe COVID-19-associated acute lung injury, multi-organ dysfunction, and pre-eclampsia-like syndrome seen in gravid women. Furthermore, because both NETs formation and the presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies are increased in both COVID-19 and non-COVID pre-eclampsia, it suggests a similar vascular pathogenesis in both disorders. As a final point, AAT has an excellent safety profile when administered to patients with AAT deficiency and is dosed intravenously once weekly but also comes in an inhaled preparation. Thus, AAT is an appealing drug candidate to treat COVID-19 and should be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyuan Bai
- Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA; Departments of Academic Affairs and Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA; Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, USA
| | - Joseph Hippensteel
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, USA; Denver Health, Denver, CO, USA
| | | | - James P Maloney
- Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA; Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, USA
| | - David Beckham
- Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Cindy Garcia
- Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Qing Li
- Departments of Academic Affairs and Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA; School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Brian M Freed
- Department of Immunology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Diane Ordway
- Department of Microbiology, Immunlogy, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Robert A Sandhaus
- Departments of Academic Affairs and Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Edward D Chan
- Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA; Departments of Academic Affairs and Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA; Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, USA.
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Terrier O, Slama-Schwok A. Anti-Influenza Drug Discovery and Development: Targeting the Virus and Its Host by All Possible Means. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1322:195-218. [PMID: 34258742 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-0267-2_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Infections by influenza virus constitute a major and recurrent threat for human health. Together with vaccines, antiviral drugs play a key role in the prevention and treatment of influenza virus infection and disease. Today, the number of antiviral molecules approved for the treatment of influenza is relatively limited, and their use is threatened by the emergence of viral strains with resistance mutations. There is therefore a real need to expand the prophylactic and therapeutic arsenal. This chapter summarizes the state of the art in drug discovery and development for the treatment of influenza virus infections, with a focus on both virus-targeting and host cell-targeting strategies. Novel antiviral strategies targeting other viral proteins or targeting the host cell, some of which are based on drug repurposing, may be used in combination to strengthen our therapeutic arsenal against this major pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Terrier
- CIRI, Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, (Team VirPath), Univ Lyon, Inserm, U1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Anny Slama-Schwok
- Sorbonne Université, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, INSERM U938, Biologie et Thérapeutique du Cancer, Paris, France.
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Voinsky I, Gurwitz D. Smoking and COVID-19: Similar bronchial ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression and higher TMPRSS4 expression in current versus never smokers. Drug Dev Res 2020; 81:1073-1080. [PMID: 32757420 PMCID: PMC7436865 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Uncertainties remain concerning the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and potential therapeutics for COVID-19. Among unsettled controversies is whether tobacco smoking increases or protects from severe COVID-19. Several epidemiological studies reported reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations among smokers, while other studies reported the opposite trend. Some authors assumed that smokers have elevated airway expression of ACE2, the cell recognition site of the SARS-Cov-2 spike protein, but this suggestion remains unverified. We therefore performed data mining of two independent NCBI GEO genome-wide RNA expression files (GSE7894 and GSE994) and report that in both data sets, current smokers and never smokers have, on average, closely similar bronchial epithelial cell mRNA levels of ACE2, as well as TMPRSS2, coding for a serine protease priming SARS-Cov-2 for cell entry, and ADAM17, coding for a protease implicated in ACE2 membrane shedding. In contrast, the expression levels of TMPRSS4, coding for a protease that primes SARS-CoV-2 for cell entry similarly to TMPRSS2, were elevated in bronchial epithelial cells from current smokers compared with never smokers, suggesting that higher bronchial TMPRSS4 levels in smokers might put them at higher SARS-Cov-2 infection risk. The effects of smoking on COVID-19 severity need clarification with larger studies. Additionally, the postulated protective effects of nicotine and nitric oxide, which may presumably reduce the risk of a "cytokine storm" in infected individuals, deserve assessment by controlled clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Voinsky
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and BiochemistrySackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - David Gurwitz
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and BiochemistrySackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Sagol School of NeuroscienceTel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
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Sowers LC, Blanton LS, Weaver SC, Urban RJ, Mouton CP. Pharmacological approaches to the treatment of COVID-19 patients. JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2020; 6:394. [PMID: 33042589 PMCID: PMC7543691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to the world community. No effective therapies or vaccines have yet been established. Upon the basis of homologies to similar coronaviruses, several potential drug targets have been identified and are the focus of both laboratory and clinical investigation. The rationale for several of these drug candidates is presented in this review. Emerging clinical data has revealed that severe COVID-19 disease is associated with heightened inflammatory responses and a procoagulant state, suggesting that patient treatment strategies must extend beyond antiviral agents. Effective approaches to the treatment of vulnerable patients with comorbidities will render COVID-19 substantially more manageable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence C Sowers
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
| | - Lucas S Blanton
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
| | - Scott C Weaver
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses
| | - Randall J Urban
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
| | - Charles P Mouton
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
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Breining P, Frølund AL, Højen JF, Gunst JD, Staerke NB, Saedder E, Cases-Thomas M, Little P, Nielsen LP, Søgaard OS, Kjolby M. Camostat mesylate against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19-Rationale, dosing and safety. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2020; 128:204-212. [PMID: 33176395 DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.13533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, utilizes a viral membrane spike protein for host cell entry. For the virus to engage in host membrane fusion, SARS-CoV-2 utilizes the human transmembrane surface protease, TMPRSS2, to cleave and activate the spike protein. Camostat mesylate, an orally available well-known serine protease inhibitor, is a potent inhibitor of TMPRSS2 and has been hypothesized as a potential antiviral drug against COVID-19. In vitro human cell and animal studies have shown that camostat mesylate inhibits virus-cell membrane fusion and hence viral replication. In mice, camostat mesylate treatment during acute infection with influenza, also dependent on TMPRSS2, leads to a reduced viral load. The decreased viral load may be associated with an improved patient outcome. Because camostat mesylate is administered as an oral drug, it may be used in outpatients as well as inpatients at all disease stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection if it is shown to be an effective antiviral agent. Clinical trials are currently ongoing to test whether this well-known drug could be repurposed and utilized to combat the current pandemic. In the following, we will review current knowledge on camostat mesylate mode of action, potential benefits as an antiviral agent and ongoing clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Breining
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anne Lier Frølund
- Medical School, Faculty of health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jesper Falkesgaard Højen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jesper Damsgaard Gunst
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Nina B Staerke
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Eva Saedder
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | | | - Lars Peter Nielsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ole S Søgaard
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mads Kjolby
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.,Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.,University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
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43
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Muhanna D, Arnipalli SR, Kumar SB, Ziouzenkova O. Osmotic Adaptation by Na +-Dependent Transporters and ACE2: Correlation with Hemostatic Crisis in COVID-19. Biomedicines 2020; 8:E460. [PMID: 33142989 PMCID: PMC7693583 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8110460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 symptoms, including hypokalemia, hypoalbuminemia, ageusia, neurological dysfunctions, D-dimer production, and multi-organ microthrombosis reach beyond effects attributed to impaired angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) signaling and elevated concentrations of angiotensin II (Ang II). Although both SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) and SARS-CoV-2 utilize ACE2 for host entry, distinct COVID-19 pathogenesis coincides with the acquisition of a new sequence, which is homologous to the furin cleavage site of the human epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC). This review provides a comprehensive summary of the role of ACE2 in the assembly of Na+-dependent transporters of glucose, imino and neutral amino acids, as well as the functions of ENaC. Data support an osmotic adaptation mechanism in which osmotic and hemostatic instability induced by Ang II-activated ENaC is counterbalanced by an influx of organic osmolytes and Na+ through the ACE2 complex. We propose a paradigm for the two-site attack of SARS-CoV-2 leading to ENaC hyperactivation and inactivation of the ACE2 complex, which collapses cell osmolality and leads to rupture and/or necrotic death of swollen pulmonary, endothelial, and cardiac cells, thrombosis in infected and non-infected tissues, and aberrant sensory and neurological perception in COVID-19 patients. This dual mechanism employed by SARS-CoV-2 calls for combinatorial treatment strategies to address and prevent severe complications of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ouliana Ziouzenkova
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (D.M.); (S.R.A.); (S.B.K.)
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44
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Kishk SM, Kishk RM, Yassen ASA, Nafie MS, Nemr NA, ElMasry G, Al-Rejaie S, Simons C. Molecular Insights into Human Transmembrane Protease Serine-2 (TMPS2) Inhibitors against SARS-CoV2: Homology Modelling, Molecular Dynamics, and Docking Studies. Molecules 2020; 25:E5007. [PMID: 33137894 PMCID: PMC7663346 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25215007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), which caused novel corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, necessitated a global demand for studies related to genes and enzymes of SARS-CoV2. SARS-CoV2 infection depends on the host cell Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) and Transmembrane Serine Protease-2 (TMPRSS2), where the virus uses ACE2 for entry and TMPRSS2 for S protein priming. The TMPRSS2 gene encodes a Transmembrane Protease Serine-2 protein (TMPS2) that belongs to the serine protease family. There is no crystal structure available for TMPS2, therefore, a homology model was required to establish a putative 3D structure for the enzyme. A homology model was constructed using SWISS-MODEL and evaluations were performed through Ramachandran plots, Verify 3D and Protein Statistical Analysis (ProSA). Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the stability of the constructed model. Docking of TMPS2 inhibitors, camostat, nafamostat, gabexate, and sivelestat, using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software, into the constructed model was performed and the protein-ligand complexes were subjected to MD simulations and computational binding affinity calculations. These in silico studies determined the tertiary structure of TMPS2 amino acid sequence and predicted how ligands bind to the model, which is important for drug development for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safaa M. Kishk
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
| | - Rania M. Kishk
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt;
| | - Asmaa S. A. Yassen
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt;
| | - Mohamed S. Nafie
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt;
| | - Nader A. Nemr
- Endemic and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt;
| | - Gamal ElMasry
- Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt;
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Salim Al-Rejaie
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Claire Simons
- School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF103NB, UK;
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45
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Lisi L, Lacal PM, Barbaccia ML, Graziani G. Approaching coronavirus disease 2019: Mechanisms of action of repurposed drugs with potential activity against SARS-CoV-2. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 180:114169. [PMID: 32710969 PMCID: PMC7375972 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) a global pandemic. As of July 2020, SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 14 million people and provoked more than 590,000 deaths, worldwide. From the beginning, a variety of pharmacological treatments has been empirically used to cope with the life-threatening complications associated with Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Thus far, only a couple of them and not consistently across reports have been shown to further decrease mortality, respect to what can be achieved with supportive care. In most cases, and due to the urgency imposed by the number and severity of the patients' clinical conditions, the choice of treatment has been limited to repurposed drugs, approved for other indications, or investigational agents used for other viral infections often rendered available on a compassionate-use basis. The rationale for drug selection was mainly, though not exclusively, based either i) on the activity against other coronaviruses or RNA viruses in order to potentially hamper viral entry and replication in the epithelial cells of the airways, and/or ii) on the ability to modulate the excessive inflammatory reaction deriving from dysregulated host immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2. In several months, an exceptionally large number of clinical trials have been designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of anti-COVID-19 therapies in different clinical settings (treatment or pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis) and levels of disease severity, but only few of them have been completed so far. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms of action that have provided the scientific rationale for the empirical use and evaluation in clinical trials of structurally different and often functionally unrelated drugs during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Lisi
- Dipartimento di Bioetica e Sicurezza, Sezione di Farmacologia, Catholic University Medical School, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Grazia Graziani
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.
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46
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Beeraka NM, Sadhu SP, Madhunapantula SV, Rao Pragada R, Svistunov AA, Nikolenko VN, Mikhaleva LM, Aliev G. Strategies for Targeting SARS CoV-2: Small Molecule Inhibitors-The Current Status. Front Immunol 2020; 11:552925. [PMID: 33072093 PMCID: PMC7531039 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.552925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced Coronavirus Disease - 19 (COVID-19) cases have been increasing at an alarming rate (7.4 million positive cases as on June 11 2020), causing high mortality (4,17,956 deaths as on June 11 2020) and economic loss (a 3.2% shrink in global economy in 2020) across 212 countries globally. The clinical manifestations of this disease are pneumonia, lung injury, inflammation, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Currently, there is no vaccine or effective pharmacological agents available for the prevention/treatment of SARS-CoV2 infections. Moreover, development of a suitable vaccine is a challenging task due to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) and Th-2 immunopathology, which aggravates infection with SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, the emerging SARS-CoV-2 strain exhibits several distinct genomic and structural patterns compared to other coronavirus strains, making the development of a suitable vaccine even more difficult. Therefore, the identification of novel small molecule inhibitors (NSMIs) that can interfere with viral entry or viral propagation is of special interest and is vital in managing already infected cases. SARS-CoV-2 infection is mediated by the binding of viral Spike proteins (S-protein) to human cells through a 2-step process, which involves Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) and Transmembrane Serine Protease (TMPRSS)-2. Therefore, the development of novel inhibitors of ACE2/TMPRSS2 is likely to be beneficial in combating SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, the usage of ACE-2 inhibitors to block the SARS-CoV-2 viral entry requires additional studies as there are conflicting findings and severe health complications reported for these inhibitors in patients. Hence, the current interest is shifted toward the development of NSMIs, which includes natural antiviral phytochemicals and Nrf-2 activators to manage a SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is imperative to investigate the efficacy of existing antiviral phytochemicals and Nrf-2 activators to mitigate the SARS-CoV-2-mediated oxidative stress. Therefore, in this review, we have reviewed structural features of SARS-CoV-2 with special emphasis on key molecular targets and their known modulators that can be considered for the development of NSMIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narasimha M. Beeraka
- Department of Biochemistry, Center of Excellence in Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine (CEMR), JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSS AHER), Mysore, India
| | - Surya P. Sadhu
- AU College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India
| | - SubbaRao V. Madhunapantula
- Department of Biochemistry, Center of Excellence in Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine (CEMR), JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSS AHER), Mysore, India
- Special Interest Group in Cancer Biology and Cancer Stem Cells (SIG-CBCSC), JSS Medical College, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSS AHER), Mysore, India
| | | | - Andrey A. Svistunov
- I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir N. Nikolenko
- I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia
- Department of Normal and Topographic Anatomy, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Gjumrakch Aliev
- Research Institute of Human Morphology, Moscow, Russia
- Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Physiologically Active Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- GALLY International Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, United States
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47
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Kothari A, Singh V, Nath UK, Kumar S, Rai V, Kaushal K, Omar BJ, Pandey A, Jain N. Immune Dysfunction and Multiple Treatment Modalities for the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Races of Uncontrolled Running Sweat? BIOLOGY 2020; 9:E243. [PMID: 32846906 PMCID: PMC7563789 DOI: 10.3390/biology9090243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a global pandemic threat with more than 11.8 million confirmed cases and more than 0.5 million deaths as of 3 July 2020. Given the lack of definitive pharmaceutical interventions against SARS-CoV-2, multiple therapeutic strategies and personal protective applications are being used to reduce the risk of high mortality and community spread of this infection. Currently, more than a hundred vaccines and/or alternative therapeutic regimens are in clinical trials, and some of them have shown promising results in improving the immune cell environment and controlling the infection. In this review, we discussed high-performance multi-directory strategies describing the uncontrolled deregulation of the host immune landscape associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and treatment strategies using an anti-neoplastic regimen. We also followed selected current treatment plans and the most important on-going clinical trials and their respective outcomes for blocking SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis through regenerative medicine, such as stem cell therapy, chimeric antigen receptors, natural killer (NK) cells, extracellular vesicular-based therapy, and others including immunomodulatory regimens, anti-neoplastic therapy, and current clinical vaccine therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Kothari
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India; (A.K.); (V.S.)
| | - Vanya Singh
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India; (A.K.); (V.S.)
| | - Uttam Kumar Nath
- Department of Medical Oncology & Hematology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India;
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA;
| | - Vineeta Rai
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA;
| | - Karanvir Kaushal
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India;
| | - Balram Ji Omar
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India; (A.K.); (V.S.)
| | - Atul Pandey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Neeraj Jain
- Department of Medical Oncology & Hematology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India;
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48
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Kaddoura M, AlIbrahim M, Hijazi G, Soudani N, Audi A, Alkalamouni H, Haddad S, Eid A, Zaraket H. COVID-19 Therapeutic Options Under Investigation. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:1196. [PMID: 32848795 PMCID: PMC7424051 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.01196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Since its emergence in China in December 2019, COVID-19 has quickly spread around the globe causing a pandemic. Vaccination or the development of herd immunity seems the only way to slow down the spread of the virus; however, both are not achievable in the near future. Therefore, effective treatments to mitigate the burden of this pandemic and reduce mortality rates are urgently needed. Preclinical and clinical studies of potential antiviral and immunomodulatory compounds and molecules to identify safe and efficacious therapeutics for COVID-19 are ongoing. Two compounds, remdesivir, and dexamethasone have been so far shown to reduce COVID-19-associated death. Here, we provide a review of the potential therapeutic agents being considered for the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malak Kaddoura
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Malak AlIbrahim
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Ghina Hijazi
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nadia Soudani
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Amani Audi
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Habib Alkalamouni
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Salame Haddad
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Ali Eid
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Hassan Zaraket
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology & Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
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49
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Gupta I, Rizeq B, Elkord E, Vranic S, Al Moustafa AE. SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Lung Cancer: Potential Therapeutic Modalities. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2186. [PMID: 32764454 PMCID: PMC7464614 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human coronaviruses, especially SARS-CoV-2, are emerging pandemic infectious diseases with high morbidity and mortality in certain group of patients. In general, SARS-CoV-2 causes symptoms ranging from the common cold to severe conditions accompanied by lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome in addition to other organs' destruction. The main impact upon SARS-CoV-2 infection is damage to alveolar and acute respiratory failure. Thus, lung cancer patients are identified as a particularly high-risk group for SARS-CoV-2 infection and its complications. On the other hand, it has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), that promotes cellular entry of this virus in concert with host proteases, principally transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2). Today, there are no vaccines and/or effective drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Thus, manipulation of key entry genes of this virus especially in lung cancer patients could be one of the best approaches to manage SARS-CoV-2 infection in this group of patients. We herein provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the role of ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 genes, as key entry elements as well as therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection, which can help to better understand the applications and capacities of various remedial approaches for infected individuals, especially those with lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishita Gupta
- College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar; (I.G.); (B.R.); (S.V.)
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Balsam Rizeq
- College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar; (I.G.); (B.R.); (S.V.)
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Eyad Elkord
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute & 4Hamad Bin Khalifa University, 34110 Doha, Qatar;
- Biomedical Research Center, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, UK
| | - Semir Vranic
- College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar; (I.G.); (B.R.); (S.V.)
| | - Ala-Eddin Al Moustafa
- College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar; (I.G.); (B.R.); (S.V.)
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar
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50
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Sternberg A, McKee DL, Naujokat C. Novel Drugs Targeting the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Machinery. Curr Top Med Chem 2020; 20:1423-1433. [PMID: 32416679 DOI: 10.2174/1568026620999200517043137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Like other human pathogenic viruses, coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 employs sophisticated macromolecular machines for viral host cell entry, genome replication and protein processing. Such machinery encompasses SARS-CoV-2 envelope spike (S) glycoprotein required for host cell entry by binding to the ACE2 receptor, viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and 3-chymotrypsin-like main protease (3Clpro/Mpro). Under the pressure of the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic caused by the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China in December 2019, novel and repurposed drugs were recently designed and identified for targeting the SARS-CoV-2 reproduction machinery, with the aim to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and morbidity and mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Sternberg
- Center and Network for Targeted Oncology, Muehlackerweg 8, D-69239 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Cord Naujokat
- Institute of Immunology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 305, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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