Lithium salts as a treatment for COVID-19: Pre-clinical outcomes

Lithium salts as a treatment for COVID-19: Pre-clinical outcomes

Identifying effective drugs for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is urgently needed. An efficient approach is to evaluate whether existing approved drugs have anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects. The antiviral properties of lithium salts have been studied for many years. Their anti-inflammatory and immune-po...

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Published in:Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy Vol. 149; p. 112872
Main Authors: Soriano-Torres, O., Noa Romero, E., González Sosa, NL, Enríquez Puertas, JM, Fragas Quintero, A., García Montero, M., Martín Alfonso, D., Infante Hernández, Y., Lastre, M., Rodríguez-Pérez, L., Borrego, Y., González, VE, Vega, IG, Ramos Pupo, R., Reyes, LM, Zumeta Dubé, MT, Hernández, Amaro, García de la Rosa, I., Minguez Suárez, A., Alarcón Camejo, LA, Rodríguez, M., Oliva Hernández, R., Rudd, CE, Pérez, O.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01-05-2022
The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS
Elsevier
Subjects:
Animals
Antiviral Agents - pharmacology
Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use
COVID-19
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
Cricetinae
Humans
Inflammation
Lithium
Pre-clinical trial
Salts
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Pre-clinical trial
Lithium
SARS-CoV-2
Inflammation
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Summary:Identifying effective drugs for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is urgently needed. An efficient approach is to evaluate whether existing approved drugs have anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects. The antiviral properties of lithium salts have been studied for many years. Their anti-inflammatory and immune-potentiating effects result from the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3. To obtain pre-clinical evidence on the safety and therapeutic effects of lithium salts in the treatment of COVID-19. Six different concentrations of lithium, ranging 2–12 mmol/L, were evaluated. Lithium inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV-2 virus in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 4 mmol/L. Lithium-treated wells showed a significantly higher percentage of monolayer conservation than viral control, particularly at concentrations higher than 6 mmol/L, verified through microscopic observation, the neutral red assay, and the determination of N protein in the supernatants of treated wells. Hamsters treated with lithium showed less intense disease with fewer signs. No lithium-related mortality or overt signs of toxicity were observed during the experiment. A trend of decreasing viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs and lungs was observed in treated hamsters compared to controls. These results provide pre-clinical evidence of the antiviral and immunotherapeutic effects of lithium against SARS-CoV-2, which supports an advance to clinical trials on COVID-19′s patients. [Display omitted] •Antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immune-potentiating effects of lithium salts have been described.•Lithium directly inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero E6 cells in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 of 4 mmol/L.•Syrian hamsters treated with human therapeutic doses of lithium showed a less intense disease.
ISSN:0753-3322
1950-6007
DOI:10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112872