A Role for Retinoids in The Treatment of Covid-19?

Trasino, Steven E

The 2020 global outbreak of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or Covid-19) is a serious threat to international health and thus there is an urgent need for discovery of novel therapies or use of repurposed drugs that can make a significant impact on slowing the spread of the virus. Type 1 interferons (IFN-I) are a family cytokines of the early innate immune response to viruses that are being tested against SARS-CoV-2. However coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 can suppress host IFN-I anti-viral responses. Retinoids are a family molecules related to vitamin A that possess robust immune modulating properties, including the ability to increase and potentiate the actions of IFN-I. Therefore adjuvants such as retinoids, capable of increasing IFN-I mediated anti-viral responses should be tested in combinations of IFN-I and anti-viral drugs in pre-clinical studies of SARS-CoV-2.