A study suggests proxalutamide, a drug developed for the treatment of prostate cancer, may be helpful in treating Covid and its other forms. Researchers hypothesize a connection between androgen receptors and SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.
According to a recent study, a medication to treat prostate cancer may also be helpful in treating Covid and its many forms. Men appeared to experience greater rates of severe sickness and mortality during the beginning of the Covid pandemic, which led researchers to hypothesize a connection between androgen receptors, which bind to hormones like testosterone, and SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.
This finding prompted University of Michigan researchers to investigate proxalutamide, a drug being developed to treat prostate cancer that prevents the action of the androgen receptor-controlled enzyme TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease, serine 2), as a potential treatment for Covid.
According to Arul Chinnaiyan, director of the Michigan Centre for Translational Pathology and professor of pathology, “We were already studying TMPRSS2 as part of the key gene driver of over 50% of prostate cancer, so it made sense to look at it as TMPRSS2 is an important host factor for SARS-CoV2 to enter cells in the lung.”
The scientists injected proxalutamide to SARS-Co-V2-infected cells as part of the investigation, which was then observed to see if it might prevent viral entrance.
The drug inhibits TMPRSS2 and ACE2 levels, binds to androgen receptors, and prevents infection.
Due to its capacity to destroy the androgen receptor, proxalutamide also outperformed other prostate cancer medications in its ability to combat various SARS-CoV2 strains.
Additionally, proxalutamide completely prevented infection when taken with the Covid medication remdesivir, which was authorized by the US FDA.
Jonathan Sexton, University Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, says “this discovery highlights the utility of testing existing drugs for new applications that can be rapidly evaluated in humans to shorten the timeline from discovery to clinical evaluation.”
Encouraged by their in vitro findings, the scientists investigated if the substance might halt the cytokine storm, or strong inflammatory response, brought on by SARS-CoV-2 infection.
They showed that the medication decreased inflammation and cell death in the mice’s lungs and decreased mortality using a mouse model.
According to Chinnaiyan, “the idea is that proxalutamide and remdesivir could work as a combined therapy, hitting the virus from multiple angles, much like combination therapy works so well for HIV infection.”
Early and phase 3 prostate cancer and Covid clinical investigations are underway.
Conclusion:-
A study by the University of Michigan suggests that a drug for prostate cancer may also be helpful in treating Covid and its various forms. Researchers hypothesized a connection between androgen receptors and SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. They developed proxalutamide, a drug that inhibits the androgen receptor-controlled enzyme TMPRSS2, which is an important host factor for SARS-CoV2 entry into lung cells. The drug outperformed other prostate cancer medications in combating various SARS-CoV2 strains and completely prevented infection when taken with remdesivir, a Covid medication authorized by the US FDA. The study highlights the utility of testing existing drugs for new applications, allowing for rapid evaluation in humans. Both early clinical trials for Covid and phase 3 trials for prostate cancer are currently underway.
