Candesartan could ameliorate the COVID-19 cytokine storm

Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy

Abdel G. Elkahloun¹  Juan M. Saavedra² 

[1] Comparative Genomics and Cancer Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, SE402 Med/Dent, 3900 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC 20057, USA;

关键词: COVID-19;    SARS-CoV-2;    Immunity;    Inflammation;    NF-κB;    Cytokine storm;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) reducing inflammation and protecting lung and brain function, could be of therapeutic efficacy in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Using GSEA, we compared our previous transcriptome analysis of neurons injured by glutamate and treated with the ARB Candesartan (GSE67036) with transcriptional signatures from SARS-CoV-2 infected primary human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) and lung postmortem (GSE147507), PBMC and BALF samples (CRA002390) from COVID-19 patients. Results: Hundreds of genes upregulated in SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 transcriptomes were similarly upregulated by glutamate and normalized by Candesartan. Gene Ontology analysis revealed expression profiles with greatest significance and enrichment, including proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine activity, the NF-kappa B complex, alterations in innate and adaptive immunity, with many genes participating in the COVID-19 cytokine storm. Conclusions: There are similar injury mechanisms in SARS-CoV-2 infection and neuronal injury, equally reduced by ARB treatment. This supports the hypothesis of a therapeutic role for ARBs, ameliorating the COVID-19 cytokine storm.

【 授权许可】

Unknown