Tetracycline and viruses: a possible treatment for COVID-19?
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REVIEW
Tetracycline and viruses: a possible treatment for COVID‑19? Jesús A. Mosquera‑Sulbaran1 · Hugo Hernández‑Fonseca2,3 Received: 22 June 2020 / Accepted: 13 September 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Tetracyclines have been used to treat many bacterial infections. The use of these antibiotics for the treatment of viral diseases dates to the 1960s to 1970s. Over the decades, the effect of tetracyclines on the pathogenesis of viral infections has been demonstrated both clinically and experimentally. Tetracyclines can act on viral infections either through their antibacterial properties or through direct antiviral action. This review focuses on clinical and experimental data that support the use of tetracycline in treating viral infections and highlights an important approach to slowing disease progression during viral infections. Tetracycline treatment might represent a strategy for eliminating the infection or inhibiting the progression of COVID-19.
Introduction Tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics [1] that are synthesized by modifying natural tetracycline to form several new compounds. Among these compounds, called semi-synthetic tetracyclines, are doxycycline (Dox) and minocycline (Min). Minocycline (a second-generation tetracycline) acts on Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and is used to treat various types of infections (respiratory tract, skin, urethritis, gonorrhea, anthrax, meningococcal infections, and chlamydial infections) [2, 3]. The size of minocycline (495 Da) and its lipophilic nature allow it to cross the bloodbrain barrier more easily than doxycycline and other tetracyclines [4, 5]. Therefore, it has been used to treat various neurological disorders [6–9]. Doxycycline also has a wide range of antimicrobial [10, 11] and anti-inflammatory [12, Handling Editor: YiMing Shao. * Jesús A. Mosquera‑Sulbaran [email protected] Hugo Hernández‑Fonseca [email protected] 1
Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Clínicas “Dr. Américo Negrette”, Universidad del Zulia, Apartado Postal: 23, Maracaibo 4001‑A, Zulia, Venezuela
2
Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela
3
Present Address: Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Saint George’s University, Saint George’s, Grenada
13] properties and is used to treat a variety of infections (anthrax, chlamydial infections, pneumonia, Lyme disease, cholera, syphilis, and others) [14]. The use of tetracyclines as antiviral agents dates to the 1960s and 1970s, and over the decades, they have shown an antiviral effect both experimentally and clinically. The aim of this review was to report on the different antiviral effects of tetracyclines and to highlight their possible beneficial effect on the treatment of COVID19. In this regard, a literature review was performed. Published studies were identified through citation chasing, a search of PubMed and Google Scholar using the systematic review methods f
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