Surfactant-based therapy against COVID-19: A review

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to serious health and economic damage to all over the world, and it still remains unstoppable. The SARS-CoV-2, by using its S-glycoprotein, binds with an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 re-ceptor, mostly present in alveolar epithelial type II cells. Eventually pulmonary surfactant depletion occurs. The pulmonary surfactant is necessary for maintaining the natural immunity as well as the surface tension reduction within the lung alveoli during the ex-piration. Its insufficiency results in the reduction of blood oxyge-nation, poor pulmonary regeneration, lung fibrosis, and finally the respiratory system collapses. Exogenous surfactants have pre-viously shown great promise in the treatment of infant respiratory distress syndrome, and they may also aid in the healing of dam-aged alveolar cells and the prevention of respiratory failure. Sur-factant based therapy has been advised for the prevention of COVID-19, and the trials have begun around the world. Further-more, greater research on the timing, dose, and the distribution of surfactant to the COVID-19 patients is required before this tech-nique can be implemented in clinical practice.