Broad-spectrum antiviral activity of naproxen: from Influenza A to SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus

Abstract

There is an urgent need for specific antiviral drugs directed against SARS-CoV-2 both to prevent the most severe forms of COVID-19 and to reduce viral excretion and subsequent virus dissemination; in the present pandemic context, drug repurposing is a priority. Targeting the nucleoprotein N of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in order to inhibit its association with viral RNA could be a strategy to impeding viral replication and possibly other essential functions associated with viral N. The antiviral properties of naproxen, belonging to the NSAID family, previously demonstrated against Influenza A virus, were evaluated against SARS-CoV-2. Naproxen binding to the nucleoprotein of SARS-CoV2 was shown by molecular modeling. In VeroE6 cells and reconstituted human primary respiratory epithelium models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, naproxen inhibited viral replication and protected the bronchial epithelia against SARS-CoV-2 induceddamage. The benefit of naproxen addition to the standard of care is tested in an on-going clinical study.

Do fever-relieving Medicines have anti-COVID Activity: an in silico Insight

“…These drugs will also prevent SARS-CoV-2-induced damage to pulmonary epithelial cells and other organs implicated in the pulmonary phase. Our findings are in consonance with Terrier et al , 2020 [ 16 ] preprint, who infected Vero E6 cell and 3D reconstituted human airway epithelia with SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate the antiviral and pulmonary protective activity of naproxen. In their study, naproxen dose-dependently reduced viral titers in both cell lines and induced a protective effect against viral-induced damage.…”

In Vitro Assessment of the Antiviral Activity of Ketotifen, Indomethacin and Naproxen, Alone and in Combination, against SARS-CoV-2

“…Recent research published as preprint also supports our findings with regard to the efficacy of naproxen and indomethacin in reducing SARS-CoV-2 viral yield. For example, Terrier et al [ 46 ] found that naproxen inhibited viral yield in Vero E6 cells and protected bronchial epithelia against SARS-CoV-2 induced-damage. Building upon the work by Amici et al [ 28 ], Xu et al [ 47 ] conducted antiviral SARS-CoV-2 testing in green monkey kidney Vero E6 cells and found that indomethacin had a direct and potent antiviral activity against SARS CoV-2, without cytotoxicity.…”

Can Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Affect the Interaction Between Receptor Binding Domain of SARS-COV-2 Spike and the Human ACE2 Receptor? A Computational Biophysical Study

“…The WHO has indicated that there is no evidence to confirm an aggravation of COVID-19 infection with the administration of NSAIDs [30,31]. In fact, it has been reported that some NSAIDs could have some type of activity against viruses such as VZV [32], HCMV [32], HSV-1 [33], influenza virus A⁄ H1N1 subtype [34,35], VSV [36,37], EBOLA [38,39], HIV [40], JEV [41], CHIKV [42], SARS-CoV-1 [43], and recently against SARS-CoV-2 [35,44,45]. Additionally, many studies have been carried out that propose various targets for blocking virus recognition, importation and replication processes through the use of reused drugs, immunotherapies, interference strategies and various inhibitory compounds [46].…”