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Abatematteo FS, Delre P, Mercurio I, Rezelj VV, Siliqi D, Beaucourt S, Lattanzi G, Colabufo NA, Leopoldo M, Saviano M, Vignuzzi M, Mangiatordi GF, Abate C. A conformational rearrangement of the SARS-CoV-2 host protein sigma-1 is required for antiviral activity: insights from a combined in-silico/in-vitro approach. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12798. [PMID: 37550340 PMCID: PMC10406941 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39662-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of effective drugs to treat coronavirus infections remains a significant challenge for the scientific community. Recent evidence reports on the sigma-1 receptor (S1R) as a key druggable host protein in the SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 interactomes and shows a potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 for the S1R antagonist PB28. To improve PB28 activity, we designed and tested a series of its analogues and identified a compound that is fourfold more potent against SARS-CoV-2 than PB28 itself. Interestingly, we found no direct correlation between S1R affinity and SARS-CoV-2 antiviral activity. Building on this, we employed comparative induced fit docking and molecular dynamics simulations to gain insights into the possible mechanism that occurs when specific ligand-protein interactions take place and that may be responsible for the observed antiviral activity. Our findings offer a possible explanation for the experimental observations, provide insights into the S1R conformational changes upon ligand binding and lay the foundation for the rational design of new S1R ligands with potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and likely other viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Serena Abatematteo
- Dipartimento di Farmacia-Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona, 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Pietro Delre
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia, Via Amendola 122/O, 70126, Bari, Italy
| | - Ivan Mercurio
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia, Via Amendola 122/O, 70126, Bari, Italy
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Antonio Vivaldi 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Veronica V Rezelj
- Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, UMR 3569, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Dritan Siliqi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia, Via Amendola 122/O, 70126, Bari, Italy
| | - Stephanie Beaucourt
- Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, UMR 3569, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Gianluca Lattanzi
- Department of Physics, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Povo-Trento, Italy
- TIFPA Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Povo-Trento, Italy
| | - Nicola Antonio Colabufo
- Dipartimento di Farmacia-Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona, 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Marcello Leopoldo
- Dipartimento di Farmacia-Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona, 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Michele Saviano
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, UMR 3569, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos #05-13, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Giuseppe Felice Mangiatordi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia, Via Amendola 122/O, 70126, Bari, Italy.
| | - Carmen Abate
- Dipartimento di Farmacia-Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona, 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia, Via Amendola 122/O, 70126, Bari, Italy.
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Gupta Y, Savytskyi OV, Coban M, Venugopal A, Pleqi V, Weber CA, Chitale R, Durvasula R, Hopkins C, Kempaiah P, Caulfield TR. Protein structure-based in-silico approaches to drug discovery: Guide to COVID-19 therapeutics. Mol Aspects Med 2023; 91:101151. [PMID: 36371228 PMCID: PMC9613808 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2022.101151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
With more than 5 million fatalities and close to 300 million reported cases, COVID-19 is the first documented pandemic due to a coronavirus that continues to be a major health challenge. Despite being rapid, uncontrollable, and highly infectious in its spread, it also created incentives for technology development and redefined public health needs and research agendas to fast-track innovations to be translated. Breakthroughs in computational biology peaked during the pandemic with renewed attention to making all cutting-edge technology deliver agents to combat the disease. The demand to develop effective treatments yielded surprising collaborations from previously segregated fields of science and technology. The long-standing pharmaceutical industry's aversion to repurposing existing drugs due to a lack of exponential financial gain was overrun by the health crisis and pressures created by front-line researchers and providers. Effective vaccine development even at an unprecedented pace took more than a year to develop and commence trials. Now the emergence of variants and waning protections during the booster shots is resulting in breakthrough infections that continue to strain health care systems. As of now, every protein of SARS-CoV-2 has been structurally characterized and related host pathways have been extensively mapped out. The research community has addressed the druggability of a multitude of possible targets. This has been made possible due to existing technology for virtual computer-assisted drug development as well as new tools and technologies such as artificial intelligence to deliver new leads. Here in this article, we are discussing advances in the drug discovery field related to target-based drug discovery and exploring the implications of known target-specific agents on COVID-19 therapeutic management. The current scenario calls for more personalized medicine efforts and stratifying patient populations early on for their need for different combinations of prognosis-specific therapeutics. We intend to highlight target hotspots and their potential agents, with the ultimate goal of using rational design of new therapeutics to not only end this pandemic but also uncover a generalizable platform for use in future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash Gupta
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Oleksandr V Savytskyi
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; In Vivo Biosystems, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Matt Coban
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Vasili Pleqi
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Caleb A Weber
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Rohit Chitale
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; The Council on Strategic Risks, 1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ravi Durvasula
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Prakasha Kempaiah
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Thomas R Caulfield
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; Department of QHS Computational Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
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Tziastoudi M, Cholevas C, Stefanidis I, Theoharides TC. Genetics of COVID-19 and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2022; 9:1838-1857. [PMID: 36204816 PMCID: PMC9639636 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID‐19 and ME/CFS present with some similar symptoms, especially physical and mental fatigue. In order to understand the basis of these similarities and the possibility of underlying common genetic components, we performed a systematic review of all published genetic association and cohort studies regarding COVID‐19 and ME/CFS and extracted the genes along with the genetic variants investigated. We then performed gene ontology and pathway analysis of those genes that gave significant results in the individual studies to yield functional annotations of the studied genes using protein analysis through evolutionary relationships (PANTHER) VERSION 17.0 software. Finally, we identified the common genetic components of these two conditions. Seventy‐one studies for COVID‐19 and 26 studies for ME/CFS were included in the systematic review in which the expression of 97 genes for COVID‐19 and 429 genes for ME/CFS were significantly affected. We found that ACE, HLA‐A, HLA‐C, HLA‐DQA1, HLA‐DRB1, and TYK2 are the common genes that gave significant results. The findings of the pathway analysis highlight the contribution of inflammation mediated by chemokine and cytokine signaling pathways, and the T cell activation and Toll receptor signaling pathways. Protein class analysis revealed the contribution of defense/immunity proteins, as well as protein‐modifying enzymes. Our results suggest that the pathogenesis of both syndromes could involve some immune dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tziastoudi
- Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Christos Cholevas
- First Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis Stefanidis
- Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Theoharis C Theoharides
- Institute of Neuro-Immune Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Clearwater, FL, USA.,Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Gouda AS, Mégarbane B. Molecular Bases of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressant-Attributed Effects in COVID-19: A New Insight on the Role of Bradykinins. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12091487. [PMID: 36143272 PMCID: PMC9502697 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12091487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Widely available effective drugs to treat coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) are still limited. Various studies suggested the potential contribution of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants to alleviate the clinical course of COVID-19. Initially, SSRI antidepressant-attributed anti-COVID-19 activity was attributed to their direct agonistic or indirect serotonin-mediated stimulation of sigma-1 receptors (Sig1-R). Thereafter, attention was drawn to the property of SSRI antidepressants to decrease ceramide production, as functional inhibitors of acid sphingomyelinase. Ceramides are cell membrane waxy lipids formed by sphingosine and a fatty acid, playing a major role in receptor signaling and infection. In COVID-19 patients, ceramide production is increased due to acid sphingomyelinase activation. Here, we aimed to review the relationships between bradykinins and the proposed pathways supporting SSRI antidepressant-attributed effectiveness in COVID-19. In COVID-19 patients, bradykinin receptor-B1 stimulation is enhanced following the downregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, which is responsible for the inactivation of des-Arg9-bradykinin, a bradykinin metabolite, contrasting with the decrease in bradykinin receptor-B2 (BDKRB2) stimulation, which results from the inhibition of cathepsin L, a kininogenase involved in bradykinin production and present at the infection site. Sig1-R stimulation modulates the inflammatory response by regulating cytokine production and counterbalances COVID-19-attributed BDKRB2 inhibition by potentiating its effects on the cytosolic calcium concentration. Moreover, the beneficial effects obtained with acid sphingomyelinase inhibition are parallel to those expected with BDKRB2 stimulation in COVID-19. Altogether, these findings suggest that one ultimate pathway of SSRI antidepressant-attributed anti-COVID-19 activity is the potentiation of BDKRB2 effects shown to be inhibited in COVID-19. In conclusion, SSRI antidepressants are able to interact positively with the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in COVID-19. However, their exact benefits in preventing morbidities or improving the outcome in COVID-19 patients remain unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S. Gouda
- National Egyptian Center for Toxicological Researches, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cairo, Cairo 11956, Egypt
| | - Bruno Mégarbane
- Department of Medical and Toxicological Critical Care, Lariboisière Hospital, Paris-Diderot University, INSERM UMRS-1144, 75010 Paris, France
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-660-221-804
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Dieter C, Brondani LDA, Leitão CB, Gerchman F, Lemos NE, Crispim D. Genetic polymorphisms associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 disease and severity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270627. [PMID: 35793369 PMCID: PMC9258831 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although advanced age and presence of comorbidities significantly impact the variation observed in the clinical symptoms of COVID-19, it has been suggested that genetic variants may also be involved in the disease. Thus, the aim of this study was to perform a systematic review with meta-analysis of the literature to identify genetic polymorphisms that are likely to contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis. Pubmed, Embase and GWAS Catalog repositories were systematically searched to retrieve articles that investigated associations between polymorphisms and COVID-19. For polymorphisms analyzed in 3 or more studies, pooled OR with 95% CI were calculated using random or fixed effect models in the Stata Software. Sixty-four eligible articles were included in this review. In total, 8 polymorphisms in 7 candidate genes and 74 alleles of the HLA loci were analyzed in 3 or more studies. The HLA-A*30 and CCR5 rs333Del alleles were associated with protection against COVID-19 infection, while the APOE rs429358C allele was associated with risk for this disease. Regarding COVID-19 severity, the HLA-A*33, ACE1 Ins, and TMPRSS2 rs12329760T alleles were associated with protection against severe forms, while the HLA-B*38, HLA-C*6, and ApoE rs429358C alleles were associated with risk for severe forms of COVID-19. In conclusion, polymorphisms in the ApoE, ACE1, TMPRSS2, CCR5, and HLA loci appear to be involved in the susceptibility to and/or severity of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristine Dieter
- Endocrine and Metabolism Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Letícia de Almeida Brondani
- Endocrine and Metabolism Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Bauermann Leitão
- Endocrine and Metabolism Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Fernando Gerchman
- Endocrine and Metabolism Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Natália Emerim Lemos
- Endocrine and Metabolism Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Daisy Crispim
- Endocrine and Metabolism Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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Mueller JK, Riederer P, Müller WE. Neuropsychiatric Drugs Against COVID-19: What is the Clinical
Evidence? PHARMACOPSYCHIATRY 2022; 55:7-15. [DOI: 10.1055/a-1717-2381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSince the beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic, the need for
effective treatments for COVID-19 led to the idea of
“repurposing” drugs for antiviral treatment. Several
antipsychotics and antidepressants have been tested for in vitro activity
against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Chlorpromazine,
other phenothiazine antipsychotics, and the antidepressant fluoxetine were found
to be rather potent in these studies. However, whether effective plasma
concentrations can be obtained with clinically accepted doses of these drugs is
not clear. Data of COVID-19 patients are not yet available but several clinical
studies are currently underway.The specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine is a potent Sigma-1
receptor agonist and reduces inflammation in animal models of cytokine-stress.
Accordingly, fluvoxamine treatment was superior to placebo in reducing impaired
respiratory function and other symptoms of inflammation in COVID-19 patients in
a placebo-controlled clinical study and another open clinical trial. The
beneficial effects of fluvoxamine on the course of COVID-19 were recently
confirmed in a large placebo-controlled double-blind trial with several hundred
patients.Inflammation represents a major risk factor for many psychiatric disorders which
explains the high susceptibilitiy of COVID-19 patients for psychiatric diseases.
Many antidepressants and antipsychotics possess anti-inflammatory properties
independent of sigma-1 activity which might be important to reduce psychiatric
symptoms of COVID-19 patients and to improve respiratory dysfunction and other
consequences of inflammation. This might explain the rather unspecific benefit
which has been reported for several cohorts of COVID-19 patients treated with
different psychotropic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane K. Mueller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, and Psychotherapy,
University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt/M, Germany
| | - Peter Riederer
- Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy,
University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- University of Southern Denmark Odense, J.B. Winslows Vey Odense,
Denmark
| | - Walter E. Müller
- Department of Pharmacology und Clinical Pharmacy, University Frankfurt,
Frankfurt/M, Germany
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Hubacek JA. Effects of selected inherited factors on susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 progression. Physiol Res 2021; 70:S125-S134. [PMID: 34913347 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.934730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic predispositions may influence geographical and interethnic differences in COVID-19 prevalence and mortality in affected populations. Of the many genes implicated in COVID-19 progression, a substantial number have no direct functional link on virus transfer/viability or on the host immune system. To address this knowledge deficit, a large number of in silico studies have recently been published. However, the results of these studies often contradict the findings of studies involving real patients. For example, the ACE2 has been shown to play an important role in regulating coronavirus entry into cells, but none of its variations have been directly associated with COVID-19 susceptibility or severity. Consistently was reported that increased risk of COVID-19 is associated with blood group A and with the APOE4 allele. Among other genes with potential impacts are the genes for CCR5, IL-10, CD14, TMPRSS2 and angiotensin-converting enzyme. Variants within the protein-coding genes OAS1 and LZTFL1 (transferred to the human genome from Neanderthals) are understood to be among the strongest predictors of disease severity. The intensive research efforts have helped to identify the genes and polymorphisms that contribute to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Hubacek
- Experimental Medicine Centre, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague 4, Czech Republic.
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Brimson JM, Prasanth MI, Malar DS, Brimson S, Thitilertdecha P, Tencomnao T. Drugs that offer the potential to reduce hospitalization and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection: The possible role of the sigma-1 receptor and autophagy. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2021; 25:435-449. [PMID: 34236922 PMCID: PMC8290373 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2021.1952987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Despite the availability of new vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, there has been slow uptake and problems with supply in some parts of the world. Hence, there is still a necessity for drugs that can prevent hospitalization of patients and reduce the strain on health care systems. Drugs with sigma affinity potentially provide protection against the most severe symptoms of SARS-COV-2 and could prevent mortality via interactions with the sigma-1 receptor.Areas covered: This review examines the role of the sigma-1 receptor and autophagy in SARS-CoV-2 infections and how they may be linked. The authors reveal how sigma ligands may reduce the symptoms, complications, and deaths resulting from SARS-CoV-2 and offer insights on those patient cohorts that may benefit most from these drugs.Expert opinion: Drugs with sigma affinity potentially offer protection against the most severe symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 via interactions with the sigma-1 receptor. Agonists of the sigma-1 receptor may provide protection of the mitochondria, activate mitophagy to remove damaged and leaking mitochondria, prevent ER stress, manage calcium ion transport, and induce autophagy to prevent cell death in response to infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Michael Brimson
- Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mani Iyer Prasanth
- Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Dicson Sheeja Malar
- Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sirikalaya Brimson
- Department of Clinical Microscopy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Premrutai Thitilertdecha
- Siriraj Research Group in Immunobiology and Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tewin Tencomnao
- Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Cross-National Variations in COVID-19 Mortality: The Role of Diet, Obesity and Depression. Diseases 2021; 9:diseases9020036. [PMID: 34066585 PMCID: PMC8161818 DOI: 10.3390/diseases9020036] [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] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by wide variations in mortality across nations. Some of this variability may be explained by medical comorbidities such as obesity and depression, both of which are strongly correlated with dietary practices such as levels of sugar and seafood consumption. Methods: COVID-19 mortality indices for 156 countries were obtained from the Johns Hopkins University’s data aggregator. Correlations between these variables and (a) per capita consumption of sugar and seafood, and (b) country-wise prevalence of depression and obesity were examined. Results: Sugar consumption (r = 0.51, p < 0.001) and prevalence of obesity (r = 0.66, p < 0.001) and depression (r = 0.56, p < 0.001) were positively correlated with crude mortality rates, while seafood consumption was negatively correlated with the infection fatality rate (r = −0.28, p = 0.015). These effects were significant even after correcting for potential confounders. The associations with depression and obesity remained significant upon multivariate regression. Conclusions: Both obesity and depression, which are associated with inflammatory dysregulation, may be related to cross-national variations in COVID-19 mortality, while seafood consumption may be protective. These findings have implications in terms of protecting vulnerable individuals during the current pandemic.
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