Investigating the possible mechanisms of pirfenidone to be targeted as a promising anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-tumor, and/or anti-SARS-CoV-2.

Pirfenidone (PFD) is a non-peptide synthetic chemical that inhibits the production of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß), and collagen 1 (COL1A1), all of which have been linked to the prevention or removal of excessive scar tissue deposition in many organs. PFD has been demonstrated to decrease apoptosis, downregulate angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) receptor expression, reduce inflammation through many routes, and alleviate oxidative stress in pneumocytes and other cells while protecting them from COVID-19 invasion and cytokine storm. Based on the mechanism of action of PFD and the known pathophysiology of COVID-19, it was recommended to treat COVID-19 patients. The use of PFD as a treatment for a range of disorders is currently being studied, with an emphasis on outcomes related to reduced inflammation and fibrogenesis. As a result, rather than exploring the molecule's chemical characteristics, this review focuses on innovative PFD efficacy data. Briefly, herein we tried to investigate, discuss, and illustrate the possible mechanisms of actions for PFD to be targeted as a promising anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-tumor, and/or anti-SARS-CoV-2 candidate.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Control between Drug Repurposing and Vaccination: A Comprehensive Overview.

Respiratory viruses represent a major public health concern, as they are highly mutated, resulting in new strains emerging with high pathogenicity. Currently, the world is suffering from the newly evolving severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a mild-to-severe respiratory tract infection with frequent ability to give rise to fatal pneumonia in humans. The overwhelming outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 continues to unfold all over the world, urging scientists to put an end to this global pandemic through biological and pharmaceutical interventions. Currently, there is no specific treatment option that is capable of COVID-19 pandemic eradication, so several repurposed drugs and newly conditionally approved vaccines are in use and heavily applied to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergence of new variants of the virus that partially or totally escape from the immune response elicited by the approved vaccines requires continuous monitoring of the emerging variants to update the content of the developed vaccines or modify them totally to match the new variants. Herein, we discuss the potential therapeutic and prophylactic interventions including repurposed drugs and the newly developed/approved vaccines, highlighting the impact of virus evolution on the immune evasion of the virus from currently licensed vaccines for COVID-19.