αV ß6 Integrin: An Intriguing Target for COVID-19 and Related Diseases.

ABSTRACT

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has been an extraordinary event that constituted a global health emergency. As the novel coronavirus is continuing to spread over the world, the need for therapeutic agents to control this pandemic is increasing. αV ß6 Integrin may be an intriguing target not only for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 entry, but also for the diagnosis/treatment of COVID-19 related fibrosis, an emerging type of fibrotic disease which will probably affect a significant part of the recovered patients. In this short article, the possible role of this integrin for fighting COVID-19 is discussed on the basis of recently published evidence, showing how its underestimated involvement may be interesting for the development of novel pharmacological tools.