Drugs against auto-protect-immune diseases before COVID-19
So-called cytokine inhibitors are drugs used inflammation for auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis or bowel. A German research team has now shown that people taking such drugs show no signs of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Researchers at the Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) found that the intake of anti-inflammatory drugs from the class of cytokine inhibitors with a protective function against COVID-19. The results of the research work have been recently presented in the prestigious scientific journal “Nature”.
Frequent systemic inflammation in COVID-19
Only recently, a further study in the renowned journal “The Lancet” showed that SARS can cause CoV-2, systemic vascular inflammation, the so-called endothelium (inner lining of the blood vessels). The researchers see this finding, a possible explanation for why a relatively large number of Affected circulatory problems develop to fatal multi-organ failure.
Excessive immune responses in COVID-19
Lead to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism, psoriasis, or inflammation of the bowels excessive immune reactions in the respective institutions concerned. A research team at the FAU found out that a COVID-19-disease with a similar excess is associated with responses. In addition, the Team showed that drugs against autoimmune diseases, against COVID-19 can help.
The excessive immune response that was observed in COVID-19, bubble results, the researchers suggest inflammation of the lung. This results in a severe disruption of gas exchange in the lungs resulting. Play a crucial role in this context, cytokines. These messengers are produced by the immune cells and lung cells.
What auto-immune diseases with COVID-19 together
In the case of certain autoimmune diseases, these messengers, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa), Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-1 play a key role. Such diseases are often treated with so-called cytokine inhibitors.
The research team at the FAU testing now, 1000 subjects, and subjects for antibodies against COVID-19. The Participants are composed of people suffering from autoimmune diseases and cytokine inhibitors oral. In addition, there was a control group without the disease.
No antibodies in cytokine-inhibitors-taking
Among the test persons in the medical field, showed a four per cent anti-body. Two percent of the participants who do not work in the medical field, also had antibodies against SARS-Cov-2. The extraordinary, however, was that not a single Person showed the cytokine inhibitors took, antibodies against the novel Coronavirus.
“It seems that the cytokine inhibitors restrict the infection with SARS-COV-2 viruses from the beginning, so that no antibodies are formed,” explains Professor Dr. Georg Schett of the research team.
Cytokine inhibitors provide protection against SARS-CoV-2
The researchers come to the conclusion that people with rheumatism, intestinal inflammation, or psoriasis, cytokine inhibitors, are not to be considered as a risk group for COVID-19. You seem to be the therapy of immune disease also COVID-19 protected.
In the next step, is now to be tested whether cytokine inhibitors are suitable for the treatment of COVID-19-disease. The similar mechanisms of the disease, and COVID-19 is available in the case of certain autoimmune diseases, giving hope to the fact that such therapies could act. (vb)