Open AccessBromhexine is a potential drug for COVID-19; From hypothesis to clinical trials
Author(s) -
Sara Bahadoram,
Bijan Keikhaei,
M Bahadoram,
M.-R. Mahmoudian-Sani,
Shakiba Hassanzadeh,
Ali Saeedi-Boroujeni,
Kosar Alikhani
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
voprosy virusologii
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2411-2097
pISSN - 0507-4088
DOI - 10.36233/0507-4088-106
Subject(s) - tmprss2 , virus , viral entry , medicine , protease , coronavirus , covid-19 , drug , virology , protease inhibitor (pharmacology) , infectivity , basigin , immunology , proteases , pharmacology , disease , biology , viral load , infectious disease (medical specialty) , viral replication , enzyme , antiretroviral therapy , biochemistry , matrix metalloproteinase
COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease 2019), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has various clinical manifestations and several pathogenic pathways. Although several therapeutic options have been used to control COVID-19, none of these medications have been proven to be a definitive cure. Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) is a protease that has a key role in the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. Following the binding of the viral spike (S) protein to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors of the host cells, TMPRSS2 processes and activates the S protein on the epithelial cells. As a result, the membranes of the virus and host cell fuse. Bromhexine is a specific TMPRSS2 inhibitor that potentially inhibits the infectivity cycle of SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, several clinical trials are evaluating the efficacy of bromhexine in COVID-19 patients. The findings of these studies have shown that bromhexine is effective in improving the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 and has prophylactic effects by inhibiting TMPRSS2 and viral penetration into the host cells. Bromhexine alone cannot cure all of the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, it could be an effective addition to control and prevent the disease progression along with other drugs that are used to treat COVID-19. Further studies are required to investigate the efficacy of bromhexine in COVID-19.