ABSTRACT
The ongoing Covid-19 is a contagious disease, and it is characterised by different symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Rising concerns about Covid-19 have severely affected the healthcare system in all countries as the Covid-19 outbreak has developed at a rapid rate all around the globe. Intriguing, a clinically used drug, acetazolamide (a specific inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase, CA, EC 4.2.1.1), is used to treat high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE), showing a high degree of clinical similarities with the pulmonary disease caused by Covid-19. In this context, this preliminary study aims to provide insights into some factors affecting the Covid-19 patients, such as hypoxaemia, hypoxia as well as the blood CA activity. We hypothesise that patients with Covid-19 problems could show a dysregulated acid-base status influenced by CA activity. These preliminary results suggest that the use of CA inhibitors as a pharmacological treatment for Covid-19 may be beneficial.
Subject(s)
Acetazolamide/therapeutic use , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Carbonic Anhydrases/blood , Acid-Base Equilibrium/drug effects , Altitude Sickness/blood , Altitude Sickness/drug therapy , Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Bicarbonates/blood , COVID-19/blood , COVID-19/diagnostic imaging , COVID-19/virology , Carbon Dioxide/blood , Cough/blood , Cough/drug therapy , Cough/pathology , Cough/virology , Drug Repositioning , Dyspnea/blood , Dyspnea/drug therapy , Dyspnea/pathology , Dyspnea/virology , Fever/blood , Fever/drug therapy , Fever/pathology , Fever/virology , Humans , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Hypertension, Pulmonary/blood , Hypertension, Pulmonary/drug therapy , Hypoxia/blood , Hypoxia/drug therapy , Hypoxia/pathology , Hypoxia/virology , Oximetry , Research Design , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Severity of Illness Index , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important complication of COVID-19 encompassing a wide range of presentations. SARS-CoV-2 is proposed to cause AKI in the patients through various mechanisms. We are, nevertheless, far from a comprehensive understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the kidney injury in this infection. AKI has been shown to be a marker of disease severity and also a negative prognostic factor for survival. Unfortunately, no effective preventive strategy to decrease the risk of kidney damage in these patients has yet been identified. In this hypothesis, we highlight the potential protective effects of acetazolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, in preventing the proximal tubular damage caused by the virus through disrupting the virus-endosome fusion and also interfering with the lysosomal proteases. Our proposed mechanisms could pave the way for further in vitro studies and subsequent clinical trials.