Cyclosporine: an old weapon in the fight against coronaviruses. Issue 5 (26th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Molyvdas, Adam; Matalon, Sadis
• Is Part Of: European respiratory journal. Volume 56:Issue 5(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-11-26
• Subjects: Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Respiration -- Periodicals; 616.2
• DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02484-2020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0903-1936

Abstract

Coronaviruses have been known to cause respiratory infections in humans and intestinal infections in other mammals. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is the seventh virus of the Coronaviridae family that is known to infect humans. Until 2002, four Coronaviruses infecting humans were described (HCoV-NL63, HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43 and HKU1). These viruses caused only mild respiratory diseases in immunocompetent hosts. Since 2002, three highly pathogenic viruses from this family have been identified. SARS-CoV (also referred to as SARS-CoV-1) is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus which infects the epithelial cells within the lungs. The virus enters the host cell by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) [1]. It infects humans, bats and palm civets [1]. Cyclosporine inhibits the replication of coronaviruses and could potentially suppress the cytokine storm associated with coronavirus infections https://bit.ly/39x2PSt