Therapeutic Potential for Tetracyclines in the Treatment of COVID‐19

Sodhi, Mohit; Etminan, Mahyar

Currently there is a race against time to identify prophylactic and therapeutic treatments against COVID-19. Until these treatments are developed, tested and mass produced, it might be prudent to look into existing therapies that could be effective against this virus. Based on the available evidence we believe that tetracyclines may be effective agents in the treatment of COVID-19. Tetracyclines (e.g. tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline) are highly lipophilic antibiotics that are known to chelate zinc compounds on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)1 . Coronaviruses are also known to heavily rely on host MMPs for survival, cell infiltration, cell to cell adhesion, and replication, many of which have zinc as part of their MMP complex2,3 . It is possible that the zinc chelating properties of tetracyclines may also aid in inhibiting COVID-19 infection in humans limiting their ability to replicate within the host.