Is carbonic anhydrase inhibition useful as a complementary therapy of Covid-19 infection?

Abstract

The ongoing Covid-19 is a contagious disease, and it is characterised by different symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Rising concerns about Covid-19 have severely affected the healthcare system in all countries as the Covid-19 outbreak has developed at a rapid rate all around the globe. Intriguing, a clinically used drug, acetazolamide (a specific inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase, CA, EC 4.2.1.1), is used to treat high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE), showing a high degree of clinical similarities with the pulmonary disease caused by Covid-19. In this context, this preliminary study aims to provide insights into some factors affecting the Covid-19 patients, such as hypoxaemia, hypoxia as well as the blood CA activity. We hypothesise that patients with Covid-19 problems could show a dysregulated acidbase status influenced by CA activity. These preliminary results suggest that the use of CA inhibitors as a pharmacological treatment for Covid-19 may be beneficial.

Synthesis and Human Carbonic Anhydrase I, II, IX, and XII Inhibition Studies of Sulphonamides Incorporating Mono-, Bi- and Tricyclic Imide Moieties

“…Patients affected by COVID-19 could show a dysregulated acid–base status probably influenced by the CA activity, which is highly increased in patients affected by COVID-19 infection. Thus, these compounds could be useful as an adjunctive pharmacological treatment for COVID-19 [ 37 ].…”

Proteomic Analysis of Pleural Effusions from COVID-19 Deceased Patients: Enhanced Inflammatory Markers

“…COVID-19 patients demonstrate a dysregulated acid-base status affected by increased CA activity. It has been demonstrated that dexamethasone decreases CA9 expression via the HIF-1α-dependent mechanism; thus, classical CA inhibitors (e.g., acetazolamide and methazolamide) could be used as an adjunctive treatment for COVID-19 patients; for example, acetazolamide treatment improved respiratory conditions in COVID-19 patients in a clinical study [ 15 ].…”

Alteration of Cytokines Level and Oxidative Stress Parameters in COVID-19

“…Similar results were reported by Mumoli et al [24] at hospital admission of 88 COVID-19 patients, as well as by Doaei et al [25], who measured similar values of the blood gas parameters in critically ill patients with COVID-19 to those reported in our study. On the other hand, Deniz et al [26] detected a mild increase of pH and bicarbonate and relatively low pCO 2 in COVID-19 patients compared with non-COVID-19 individuals.…”