tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Cells
. 2021 Dec 24;11(1):52.
doi: 10.3390/cells11010052.
Cysteamine with In Vitro Antiviral Activity and Immunomodulatory Effects Has the Potential to Be a Repurposing Drug Candidate for COVID-19 Therapy
Tonino Alonzi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alessandra Aiello[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Linda Petrone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Saeid Najafi Fard[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Manuela D'Eletto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Laura Falasca[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Roberta Nardacci[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Federica Rossin[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Giovanni Delogu[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Concetta Castilletti[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Maria Rosaria Capobianchi[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Giuseppe Ippolito[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Mauro Piacentini[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Delia Goletti[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), needs better treatment options both at antiviral and anti-inflammatory levels. It has been demonstrated that the aminothiol cysteamine, an already human applied drug, and its disulfide product of oxidation, cystamine, have anti-infective properties targeting viruses, bacteria, and parasites. To determine whether these compounds exert antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2, we used different in vitro viral infected cell-based assays. Moreover, since cysteamine has also immune-modulatory activity, we investigated its ability to modulate SARS-CoV-2-specific immune response in vitro in blood samples from COVID-19 patients. We found that cysteamine and cystamine decreased SARS-CoV-2-induced cytopathic effects (CPE) in Vero E6 cells. Interestingly, the antiviral action was independent of the treatment time respect to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, cysteamine and cystamine significantly decreased viral production in Vero E6 and Calu-3 cells. Finally, cysteamine and cystamine have an anti-inflammatory effect, as they significantly decrease the SARS-CoV-2 specific IFN-γ production in vitro in blood samples from COVID-19 patients. Overall, our findings suggest that cysteamine and cystamine exert direct antiviral actions against SARS-CoV-2 and have in vitro immunomodulatory effects, thus providing a rational to test these compounds as a novel therapy for COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral; cystamine; cysteamine; drug repurposing.
. 2021 Dec 24;11(1):52.
doi: 10.3390/cells11010052.
Cysteamine with In Vitro Antiviral Activity and Immunomodulatory Effects Has the Potential to Be a Repurposing Drug Candidate for COVID-19 Therapy
Tonino Alonzi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alessandra Aiello[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Linda Petrone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Saeid Najafi Fard[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Manuela D'Eletto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Laura Falasca[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Roberta Nardacci[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Federica Rossin[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Giovanni Delogu[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Concetta Castilletti[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Maria Rosaria Capobianchi[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Giuseppe Ippolito[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Mauro Piacentini[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Delia Goletti[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35011614
- DOI: 10.3390/cells11010052
Abstract
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), needs better treatment options both at antiviral and anti-inflammatory levels. It has been demonstrated that the aminothiol cysteamine, an already human applied drug, and its disulfide product of oxidation, cystamine, have anti-infective properties targeting viruses, bacteria, and parasites. To determine whether these compounds exert antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2, we used different in vitro viral infected cell-based assays. Moreover, since cysteamine has also immune-modulatory activity, we investigated its ability to modulate SARS-CoV-2-specific immune response in vitro in blood samples from COVID-19 patients. We found that cysteamine and cystamine decreased SARS-CoV-2-induced cytopathic effects (CPE) in Vero E6 cells. Interestingly, the antiviral action was independent of the treatment time respect to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, cysteamine and cystamine significantly decreased viral production in Vero E6 and Calu-3 cells. Finally, cysteamine and cystamine have an anti-inflammatory effect, as they significantly decrease the SARS-CoV-2 specific IFN-γ production in vitro in blood samples from COVID-19 patients. Overall, our findings suggest that cysteamine and cystamine exert direct antiviral actions against SARS-CoV-2 and have in vitro immunomodulatory effects, thus providing a rational to test these compounds as a novel therapy for COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral; cystamine; cysteamine; drug repurposing.