Classical Drug Digitoxin Inhibits Influenza Cytokine Storm, With Implications for Covid-19 Therapy.
In Vivo
; 34(6): 3723-3730, 2020.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-910223
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIM:
Influenza viruses, corona viruses and related pneumotropic viruses cause sickness and death partly by inducing cytokine storm, a hyper-proinflammatory host response by immune cells and cytokines in the host airway. Based on our in vivo experience with digitoxin as an inhibitor of TNFα-driven NFĸB signaling for cytokine expression in prostate cancer in rats and in cystic fibrosis in humans, we hypothesize that this drug will also block a virally-activated cytokine storm. MaterialsMethods:
Digitoxin was administered intraperitoneally to cotton rats, followed by intranasal infection with 107TCID50/100 g of cotton rat with influenza strain A/Wuhan/H3N2/359/95. Daily digitoxin treatment continued until harvest on day 4 of the experiment.RESULTS:
The cardiac glycoside digitoxin significantly and differentially suppressed levels of the cytokines TNFα, GRO/KC, MIP2, MCP1, and IFNγ, in the cotton rat lung in the presence of influenza virus.CONCLUSION:
Since cytokine storm is a host response, we suggest that digitoxin may have a therapeutic potential not only for influenza and but also for coronavirus infections.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Prostatic Neoplasms
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Digitoxin
/
Lung
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
In Vivo
Journal subject:
Neoplasms
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Invivo.12221
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