Open AccessPromoting autophagy to mitigate coronavirus disease pathology in the elderly
Author(s) -
Lund Da Costa Abby,
Mehta Het,
Mathur Ramkumar
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
clinical and translational discovery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2768-0622
DOI - 10.1002/ctd2.68
Subject(s) - autophagy , disease , immune system , coronavirus , covid-19 , immunity , medicine , immunology , virology , biology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , apoptosis , genetics
In this commentary, we highlight autophagy's important function, while identifying potential therapeutic targets for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) in the elderly. Autophagy's decline in the elderly causes increased cell senescence and a dysregulated immune system. As this demographic often faces decreased vaccine‐provided immunity, coronavirus disease 2019 treatments must be developed. We discuss a recent study by Acharya et al. (2022) that found that SF2523 induced autophagy, reducing SARS‐CoV‐2 replication. Furthermore, across varying dosages, SF2523 was shown to have a synergistic effect with remdesivir or MU‐UNMC. Consequently, we believe that SF2523, alone or with other anti‐virals, is a promising potential therapeutic for preventing SARS‐CoV‐2‐related mortalities.