Title:Two Birds with One Stone: Drug Regime Targets Viral Pathogenesis
Phases and COVID-19 ARDS at the Same Time
Volume: 24
Issue: 8
Author(s): Ghazaleh Ghavami and Soroush Sardari*
Affiliation:
- Drug Design and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center,
Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Acetaminophen, ursodiol, Β-carotene, COVID-19, ARDS, drug repositioning.
Abstract:
Background: Severe COVID-19 or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2) is a kind of viral pneumonia induced by infection with the coronavirus that
causes ARDS. It involves symptoms that are a combination of viral pneumonia and ARDS. Antiviral
or immunosuppressive medicines are used to treat many COVID-19 patients. Several
drugs are now undergoing clinical studies in order to see if they can be repurposed in the future.
Material and Methods: In this study, in silico biomarker-targeted methodologies, such as target/
molecule virtual screening by docking technique and drug repositioning strategy, as well as
data mining approach and meta-analysis of investigational data, were used.
Results: In silico findings of used combination of drug repurposing and high-throughput docking
methods presented acetaminophen, ursodiol, and β-carotene as a three-drug therapy regimen
to treat ARDS induced by viral pneumonia in addition to inducing direct antiviral effects
against COVID-19 viral infection.
Conclusion: In the current study, drug repurposing and high throughput docking methods have
been employed to develop combination drug regimens as multiple-molecule drugs for the therapy
of COVID-19 and ARDS based on a multiple-target therapy strategy. This approach offers
a promising avenue for the treatment of COVID-19 and ARDS, and highlights the potential
benefits of drug repurposing in the fight against the current pandemic.
