1
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Ghafouri E, Bigdeli M, Khalafiyan A, Amirkhani Z, Ghanbari R, Hasan A, Khanahmad H, Boshtam M, Makvandi P. Unmasking the complex roles of hypocalcemia in cancer, COVID-19, and sepsis: Engineered nanodelivery and diagnosis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:116979. [PMID: 37660871 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis is essential for maintaining physiological processes in the body. Disruptions in Ca2+ signaling can lead to various pathological conditions including inflammation, fibrosis, impaired immune function, and accelerated senescence. Hypocalcemia, a common symptom in diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cancer, septic shock, and COVID-19, can have both potential protective and detrimental effects. This article explores the multifaceted role of Ca2+ dysregulation in inflammation, fibrosis, impaired immune function, and accelerated senescence, contributing to disease severity. Targeting Ca2+ signaling pathways may provide opportunities to develop novel therapeutics for age-related diseases and combat viral infections. However, the role of Ca2+ in viral infections is complex, and evidence suggests that hypocalcemia may have a protective effect against certain viruses, while changes in Ca2+ homeostasis can influence susceptibility to viral infections. The effectiveness and safety of Ca2+ supplements in COVID-19 patients remain a subject of ongoing research and debate. Further investigations are needed to understand the intricate interplay between Ca2+ signaling and disease pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Ghafouri
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | | | - Anis Khalafiyan
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Zohre Amirkhani
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Roham Ghanbari
- School of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Anwarul Hasan
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar; Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
| | - Hossein Khanahmad
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Maryam Boshtam
- Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Pooyan Makvandi
- The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, 324000, Zhejiang, China; School of Engineering, Institute for Bioengineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL, UK.
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2
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Metz JAJ, Boldin B. Immunity-driven evolution of virulence and diversity in respiratory diseases. Evolution 2023; 77:2392-2408. [PMID: 37592809 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad145] [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: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
The time-honored paradigm in the theory of virulence evolution assumes a positive relation between infectivity and harmfulness. However, the etiology of respiratory diseases yields a negative relation, with diseases of the lower respiratory tract being less infective and more harmful. We explore the evolutionary consequences in a simple model incorporating cross-immunity between disease strains that diminishes with their distance in the respiratory tract, assuming that docking rate follows the match between the local mix of cell surface types and the pathogen's surface and cross-immunity the similarity of the pathogens' surfaces. The assumed relation between fitness components causes virulent strains infecting the lower airways to evolve to milder more transmissible variants. Limited cross-immunity, generally, causes a readiness to diversify that increases with host population density. In respiratory diseases that diversity will be highest in the upper respiratory tract. More tentatively, emerging respiratory diseases are likely to start low and virulent, to evolve up, and become milder. Our results extend to a panoply of realistic generalizations of the disease's ecology to including additional epitope axes. These extensions allow us to apply our results quantitatively to elucidate the differences in diversification between rhino- and coronavirus caused common colds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan A J Metz
- Advancing Systems Analysis Program, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
- Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Complexity Science and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), Onna, Japan
| | - Barbara Boldin
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
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3
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Nunn CL. COVID-19 and Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. Evol Med Public Health 2023; 11:41-43. [PMID: 36908697 PMCID: PMC9993055 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoad002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Charles L Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine (TriCEM), Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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4
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Okamoto KW, Ong V, Wallace R, Wallace R, Chaves LF. When might host heterogeneity drive the evolution of asymptomatic, pandemic coronaviruses? NONLINEAR DYNAMICS 2022; 111:927-949. [PMID: 35757097 PMCID: PMC9207439 DOI: 10.1007/s11071-022-07548-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Controlling many infectious diseases, including SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), requires surveillance followed by isolation, contact-tracing and quarantining. These interventions often begin by identifying symptomatic individuals. However, actively removing pathogen strains causing symptomatic infections may inadvertently select for strains less likely to cause symptomatic infections. Moreover, a pathogen's fitness landscape is structured around a heterogeneous host pool; uneven surveillance efforts and distinct transmission risks across host classes can meaningfully alter selection pressures. Here, we explore this interplay between evolution caused by disease control efforts and the evolutionary consequences of host heterogeneity. Using an evolutionary epidemiology model parameterized for coronaviruses, we show that intense symptoms-driven disease control selects for asymptomatic strains, particularly when these efforts are applied unevenly across host groups. Under these conditions, increasing quarantine efforts have diverging effects. If isolation alone cannot eradicate, intensive quarantine efforts combined with uneven detections of asymptomatic infections (e.g., via neglect of some host classes) can favor the evolution of asymptomatic strains. We further show how, when intervention intensity depends on the prevalence of symptomatic infections, higher removal efforts (and isolating symptomatic cases in particular) more readily select for asymptomatic strains than when these efforts do not depend on prevalence. The selection pressures on pathogens caused by isolation and quarantining likely lie between the extremes of no intervention and thoroughly successful eradication. Thus, analyzing how different public health responses can select for asymptomatic pathogen strains is critical for identifying disease suppression efforts that can effectively manage emerging infectious diseases. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11071-022-07548-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi W. Okamoto
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105 USA
- Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps, St. Paul, MN USA
| | - Virakbott Ong
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105 USA
| | - Robert Wallace
- Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps, St. Paul, MN USA
| | | | - Luis Fernando Chaves
- Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Avenida Justo Arosemena, Panama, Panama
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5
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Maimaitiyiming Y, Yang T, Wang QQ, Feng Y, Chen Z, Björklund M, Wang F, Hu C, Hsu CH, Naranmandura H. Heat Treatment Promotes Ubiquitin-Mediated Proteolysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Polymerase and Decreases Viral Load. Research (Wash D C) 2022; 2022:9802969. [PMID: 35321260 PMCID: PMC8918953 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9802969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive efforts, COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still at large. Vaccination is an effective approach to curb virus spread, but several variants (e.g., delta, delta plus, omicron, and IHU) appear to weaken or possibly escape immune protection. Thus, novel and quickly scalable approaches to restrain SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed. Multiple evidences showed thermal sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 and negative correlation between environmental temperature and COVID-19 transmission with unknown mechanism. Here, we reveal a potential mechanism by which mild heat treatment destabilizes the wild-type RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (also known as nonstructural protein 12 (NSP12)) of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the P323L mutant commonly found in SARS-CoV-2 variants, including omicron and IHU. Mechanistically, heat treatment promotes E3 ubiquitin ligase ZNF598-dependent NSP12 ubiquitination leading to proteasomal degradation and significantly decreases SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy number and viral titer. A mild daily heat treatment maintains low levels of both wild-type and P323L mutant of NSP12, suggesting clinical potential. Collectively, this novel mechanism, heat-induced NSP12 degradation, suggests a prospective heat-based intervention against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasen Maimaitiyiming
- Department of Public Health and Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Tao Yang
- Department of Public Health and Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qian Qian Wang
- Department of Public Health and Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yan Feng
- Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China
| | - Zhi Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mikael Björklund
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh (ZJU-UoE) Institute, Haining 314499, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fudi Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Chonggao Hu
- Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China
| | - Chih-Hung Hsu
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, and Department of Environmental Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Hua Naranmandura
- Department of Public Health and Department of Hematology of First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou 310058, China
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6
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Association of Amlodipine with the Risk of In-Hospital Death in Patients with COVID-19 and Hypertension: A Reanalysis on 184 COVID-19 Patients with Hypertension. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15030380. [PMID: 35337177 PMCID: PMC8952430 DOI: 10.3390/ph15030380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Association between calcium channel blockers (CCBs) or functional inhibitors of acid sphingomyelinase (FIASMAs) use and decreased mortality in people with COVID-19 has been reported in recent studies. Since amlodipine is both a CCB and a FIASMA, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between chronic amlodipine use and the survival of people with hypertension infected with COVID-19. This retrospective cohort study used data extracted from the medical records of adult inpatients with hypertension and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2020 with definite outcomes (discharged from hospital or deceased) from Erasme Hospital (Brussels, Belgium). We re-analyzed the data of the retrospective cohort study using only the 184 patients (103 males, 81 females) with a mean age of 69.54 years (SD = 14.6) with hypertension. The fifty-five participants (29.9%) receiving a chronic prescription of amlodipine were compared with the 129 patients who did not receive a chronic prescription of amlodipine. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to explore the relationships between mortality and sex, age, comorbidities, smoking, and amlodipine status. Out of the 184 participants, 132 (71.7%) survived and 52 (28.3%) died. The mortality rates were, respectively, 12.73% (n = 7) and 34.88% (n = 45) for the amlodipine and non-amlodipine groups. Multivariate logistic regression was significant (Chi square (5) = 29.11; p < 0.0001). Chronic kidney disease and malignant neoplasm were significant predictors as well as amlodipine status. For chronic kidney disease and malignant neoplasm, the odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were, respectively, 2.16 (95% CI: 1.04−4.5; p = 0.039) and 2.46 (95% CI: 1.01−6.01; p = 0.047). For amlodipine status the odds ratio was 0.29 (95% CI: 0.11−0.74; p = 0.009). The result of the present study suggests that amlodipine may be associated with reduced mortality in people with hypertension infected with COVID-19. Further research and randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the potential protective effect of amlodipine in people with hypertension infected with COVID-19.
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7
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Turke PW. Five reasons COVID-19 is less severe in younger age-groups. Evol Med Public Health 2021; 9:113-117. [PMID: 34853694 PMCID: PMC7799091 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoaa050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The severity of COVID-19 is age-related, with the advantage going to younger age-groups. Five reasons are presented. The first two are well-known, are being actively researched by the broader medical community, and therefore are discussed only briefly here. The third, fourth and fifth reasons derive from evolutionary life history theory, and potentially fill gaps in current understanding of why and how young and old age-groups respond differently to infection with SARS-CoV-2. Age of onset of generalized somatic aging and the timing of its progression are identified as important causes of these disparities, as are specific antagonistic pleiotropic tradeoffs in immune system function. Lay Summary: Covid-19 is less severe in younger age-groups than it is in older age-groups. Five advantages of youth are identified and explained in light of evolutionary life history theory, with a focus on the pattern of aging and specific tradeoffs between early and late immune system function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul W Turke
- Turke & Thomashow Pediatrics, 7444 Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd, Dexter, MI 48130, USA
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8
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Rivas AL, van Regenmortel MHV. COVID-19 related interdisciplinary methods: Preventing errors and detecting research opportunities. Methods 2021; 195:3-14. [PMID: 34029715 PMCID: PMC8545872 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2021.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 130,000 peer-reviewed studies have been published within one year after COVID-19 emerged in many countries. This large and rapidly growing field may overwhelm the synthesizing abilities of both researchers and policy-makers. To provide a sinopsis, prevent errors, and detect cognitive gaps that may require interdisciplinary research methods, the literature on COVID-19 is summarized, twice. The overall purpose of this study is to generate a dialogue meant to explain the genesis of and/or find remedies for omissions and contradictions. The first review starts in Biology and ends in Policy. Policy is chosen as a destination because it is the setting where cognitive integration must occur. The second review follows the opposite path: it begins with stated policies on COVID-19 and then their assumptions and disciplinary relationships are identified. The purpose of this interdisciplinary method on methods is to yield a relational and explanatory view of the field -one strategy likely to be incomplete but usable when large bodies of literature need to be rapidly summarized. These reviews identify nine inter-related problems, research needs, or omissions, namely: (1) nation-wide, geo-referenced, epidemiological data collection systems (open to and monitored by the public); (2) metrics meant to detect non-symptomatic cases -e.g., test positivity-; (3) cost-benefit oriented methods, which should demonstrate they detect silent viral spreaders even with limited testing; (4) new personalized tests that inform on biological functions and disease correlates, such as cell-mediated immunity, co-morbidities, and immuno-suppression; (5) factors that influence vaccine effectiveness; (6) economic predictions that consider the long-term consequences likely to follow epidemics that growth exponentially; (7) the errors induced by self-limiting and/or implausible paradigms, such as binary and reductionist approaches; (8) new governance models that emphasize problem-solving skills, social participation, and the use of scientific knowledge; and (9) new educational programs that utilize visual aids and audience-specific communication strategies. The analysis indicates that, to optimally address these problems, disciplinary and social integration is needed. By asking what is/are the potential cause(s) and consequence(s) of each issue, this methodology generates visualizations that reveal possible relationships as well as omissions and contradictions. While inherently limited in scope and likely to become obsolete, these shortcomings are avoided when this 'method on methods' is frequently practiced. Open-ended, inter-/trans-disciplinary perspectives and broad social participation may help researchers and citizens to construct, de-construct, and re-construct COVID-19 related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel L Rivas
- Center for Global Health, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
| | - Marc H V van Regenmortel
- University of Vienna, Austria; and Higher School of Biotechnology, University of Strasbourg, and French National Research Center, France
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9
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Alcock J, Masters A. Cytokine storms, evolution and COVID-19. EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 9:83-92. [PMID: 34552755 PMCID: PMC7928963 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Many treatments for COVID-19 are aimed at calming a cytokine storm, a dangerous
immune overreaction to the infection. Treating cytokine storms has been tried
for decades in sepsis and other viral illnesses, but these treatments most often
do not work. We explain why cytokine storms should be rare, and what special
evolutionary circumstances can cause them to occur. Since the identification of severe illness caused by the novel coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2, the role of the host immune system in causing disease has attracted
widespread attention, along with intense interest in medical interventions that
target the host immune response. A wide variety of agents have been proposed to
treat a cytokine storm in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but so far, only
one class of medications, corticosteroids, has proved useful. In recent decades,
experimental therapies for cytokine storms have been tried and mostly failed to
help patients with severe sepsis and other infections. We summarize this history
in order to frame expectations for novel interventions in COVID-19 and to bring
an evolutionary medicine perspective to the concept of cytokine storms and their
treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Alcock
- Department of Emergency Medicine, MSC11 6025 1, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Alix Masters
- Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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10
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Ramos E, López-Muñoz F, Gil-Martín E, Egea J, Álvarez-Merz I, Painuli S, Semwal P, Martins N, Hernández-Guijo JM, Romero A. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Key Emphasis on Melatonin Safety and Therapeutic Efficacy. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:1152. [PMID: 34356384 PMCID: PMC8301107 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10071152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral infections constitute a tectonic convulsion in the normophysiology of the hosts. The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is not an exception, and therefore the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, like any other invading microbe, enacts a generalized immune response once the virus contacts the body. Melatonin is a systemic dealer that does not overlook any homeostasis disturbance, which consequently brings into play its cooperative triad, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-stimulant backbone, to stop the infective cycle of SARS-CoV-2 or any other endogenous or exogenous threat. In COVID-19, the corporal propagation of SARS-CoV-2 involves an exacerbated oxidative activity and therefore the overproduction of great amounts of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). The endorsement of melatonin as a possible protective agent against the current pandemic is indirectly supported by its widely demonstrated beneficial role in preclinical and clinical studies of other respiratory diseases. In addition, focusing the therapeutic action on strengthening the host protection responses in critical phases of the infective cycle makes it likely that multi-tasking melatonin will provide multi-protection, maintaining its efficacy against the virus variants that are already emerging and will emerge as long as SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate among us.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ramos
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Francisco López-Muñoz
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University Camilo José Cela, C/Castillo de Alarcón 49, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28692 Madrid, Spain;
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Hospital 12 de Octubre Research Institute (i + 12), Avda. Córdoba, s/n, 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Portucalense Institute of Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioural Neurosciences (INPP), Portucalense University, R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 541, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
- Thematic Network for Cooperative Health Research (RETICS), Addictive Disorders Network, Health Institute Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Emilio Gil-Martín
- Nutrition, Food & Plant Science Group NF1, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain;
| | - Javier Egea
- Health Research Institute, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
- Molecular Neuroinflammation and Neuronal Plasticity Research Laboratory, Hospital Universitario Santa Cristina, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Iris Álvarez-Merz
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutic, Teófilo Hernando Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Av. Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.Á.-M.); (J.M.H.-G.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Carretera de Colmenar Viejo, Km. 9100, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sakshi Painuli
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248002, India; (S.P.); (P.S.)
| | - Prabhakar Semwal
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248002, India; (S.P.); (P.S.)
- Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Natália Martins
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal;
- Institute for Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies, Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico e Universitário (CESPU), Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Jesús M. Hernández-Guijo
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutic, Teófilo Hernando Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Av. Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.Á.-M.); (J.M.H.-G.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Carretera de Colmenar Viejo, Km. 9100, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Romero
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
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11
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Todorović-Raković N, Whitfield JR. Between immunomodulation and immunotolerance: The role of IFNγ in SARS-CoV-2 disease. Cytokine 2021; 146:155637. [PMID: 34242899 PMCID: PMC8253693 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2021.155637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Interferons have prominent roles in various pathophysiological conditions, mostly related to inflammation. Interferon-gamma (IFNγ) was, initially discovered as a potent antiviral agent, over 50 years ago, and has recently garnered renewed interest as a promising factor involved in both innate and adaptive immunity. When new disease epidemics appear such as SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus), MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), IAV (Influenza A virus), and in particular the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it is especially timely to review the complexity of immune system responses to viral infections. Here we consider the controversial roles of effectors like IFNγ, discussing its actions in immunomodulation and immunotolerance. We explore the possibility that modulation of IFNγ could be used to influence the course of such infections. Importantly, not only could endogenous expression of IFNγ influence the outcome, there are existing IFNγ therapeutics that can readily be applied in the clinic. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlled by IFNγ suggests that the exact timing for application of IFNγ-based therapeutics could be crucial: it should be earlier to significantly reduce the viral load and thus decrease the overall severity of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataša Todorović-Raković
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Jonathan R Whitfield
- Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Carrer Natzaret 115, Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
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12
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Chumakov K, Avidan MS, Benn CS, Bertozzi SM, Blatt L, Chang AY, Jamison DT, Khader SA, Kottilil S, Netea MG, Sparrow A, Gallo RC. Old vaccines for new infections: Exploiting innate immunity to control COVID-19 and prevent future pandemics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2101718118. [PMID: 34006644 PMCID: PMC8166166 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101718118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unparalleled pursuit of vaccines to induce specific adaptive immunity, based on virus-neutralizing antibodies and T cell responses. Although several vaccines have been developed just a year after SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2019, global deployment will take months or even years. Meanwhile, the virus continues to take a severe toll on human life and exact substantial economic costs. Innate immunity is fundamental to mammalian host defense capacity to combat infections. Innate immune responses, triggered by a family of pattern recognition receptors, induce interferons and other cytokines and activate both myeloid and lymphoid immune cells to provide protection against a wide range of pathogens. Epidemiological and biological evidence suggests that the live-attenuated vaccines (LAV) targeting tuberculosis, measles, and polio induce protective innate immunity by a newly described form of immunological memory termed "trained immunity." An LAV designed to induce adaptive immunity targeting a particular pathogen may also induce innate immunity that mitigates other infectious diseases, including COVID-19, as well as future pandemic threats. Deployment of existing LAVs early in pandemics could complement the development of specific vaccines, bridging the protection gap until specific vaccines arrive. The broad protection induced by LAVs would not be compromised by potential antigenic drift (immune escape) that can render viruses resistant to specific vaccines. LAVs might offer an essential tool to "bend the pandemic curve," averting the exhaustion of public health resources and preventing needless deaths and may also have therapeutic benefits if used for postexposure prophylaxis of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Chumakov
- Food and Drug Administration Office of Vaccine Research and Review, Global Virus Network Center of Excellence, Silver Spring, MD 20993
| | - Michael S Avidan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO 63130
| | - Christine S Benn
- Department of Clinical Research, Global Virus Network Center of Excellence, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Stefano M Bertozzi
- School of Public Health, Global Virus Network, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704
- School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- El Centro de Investigación en Evaluación y Encuestas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, 62100 Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Lawrence Blatt
- Aligos Therapeutics, Global Virus Network Center of Excellence, San Francisco, CA 94080
| | - Angela Y Chang
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Dean T Jamison
- Institute for Global Health Sciences, Global Virus Network, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Shabaana A Khader
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Shyam Kottilil
- Institute of Human Virology, Global Virus Network Center of Excellence, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Mihai G Netea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Global Virus Network Center of Excellence, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Immunology and Metabolism, Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Annie Sparrow
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Robert C Gallo
- Institute of Human Virology, Global Virus Network Center of Excellence, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201;
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13
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Gray GC, Robie ER, Studstill CJ, Nunn CL. Mitigating Future Respiratory Virus Pandemics: New Threats and Approaches to Consider. Viruses 2021; 13:637. [PMID: 33917745 PMCID: PMC8068197 DOI: 10.3390/v13040637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite many recent efforts to predict and control emerging infectious disease threats to humans, we failed to anticipate the zoonotic viruses which led to pandemics in 2009 and 2020. The morbidity, mortality, and economic costs of these pandemics have been staggering. We desperately need a more targeted, cost-efficient, and sustainable strategy to detect and mitigate future zoonotic respiratory virus threats. Evidence suggests that the transition from an animal virus to a human pathogen is incremental and requires a considerable number of spillover events and considerable time before a pandemic variant emerges. This evolutionary view argues for the refocusing of public health resources on novel respiratory virus surveillance at human-animal interfaces in geographical hotspots for emerging infectious diseases. Where human-animal interface surveillance is not possible, a secondary high-yield, cost-efficient strategy is to conduct novel respiratory virus surveillance among pneumonia patients in these same hotspots. When novel pathogens are discovered, they must be quickly assessed for their human risk and, if indicated, mitigation strategies initiated. In this review, we discuss the most common respiratory virus threats, current efforts at early emerging pathogen detection, and propose and defend new molecular pathogen discovery strategies with the goal of preempting future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory C. Gray
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; (E.R.R.); (C.J.S.)
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
- Emerging Infectious Disease Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169856, Singapore
- Global Health Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan 215316, China
| | - Emily R. Robie
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; (E.R.R.); (C.J.S.)
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Caleb J. Studstill
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; (E.R.R.); (C.J.S.)
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Charles L. Nunn
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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14
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Crespi B, Alcock J. Conflicts over calcium and the treatment of COVID-19. EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 9:149-156. [PMID: 33732462 PMCID: PMC7717197 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoaa046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Several recent studies have provided evidence that use of calcium channel blockers (CCBs), especially amlodipine and nifedipine, can reduce mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Moreover, hypocalcemia (a reduced level of serum ionized calcium) has been shown to be strongly positively associated with COVID-19 severity. Both effectiveness of CCBs as antiviral therapy, and positive associations of hypocalcemia with mortality, have been demonstrated for many other viruses as well. We evaluate these findings in the contexts of virus–host evolutionary conflicts over calcium metabolism, and hypocalcemia as either pathology, viral manipulation or host defence against pathogens. Considerable evidence supports the hypothesis that hypocalcemia represents a host defence. Indeed, hypocalcemia may exert antiviral effects in a similar manner as do CCBs, through interference with calcium metabolism in virus-infected cells. Prospective clinical studies that address the efficacy of CCBs and hypocalcemia should provide novel insights into the pathogenicity and treatment of COVID-19 and other viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Joe Alcock
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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