Abstract
The current 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an emerging infectious disease, is undoubtedly the most challenging pandemic in the 21st century. A total of 92,977,768 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,991,289 deaths were reported globally up to January 14, 2021. COVID-19 also affects people’s mental health and quality of life. At present, there is no effective therapeutic strategy for the management of this disease. Therefore, in the absence of a specific vaccine or curative treatment, it is an urgent need to identify safe, effective and globally available drugs for reducing COVID-19 morbidity and fatalities. In this review, we focus on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs: a class of antidepressant drugs with widespread availability and an optimal tolerability profile) that can potentially be repurposed for COVID-19 and are currently being tested in clinical trials. We also summarize the existing literature on what is known about the link between serotonin (5-HT) and the immune system. From the evidence reviewed here, we propose fluoxetine as an adjuvant therapeutic agent for COVID-19 based on its known immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Fluoxetine may potentially reduce pro-inflammatory chemokine/cytokines levels (such as CCL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α) in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, fluoxetine may help to attenuate neurological complications of COVID-19.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Antidepressant drugs; COVID-19; Drug repurposing; SARS-CoV-2; Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Drug repurposing, SARS-CoV-2, Anti-inflammatory, Antidepressant drugs, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)., 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Drug repurposing, Vaccine, pandemic, Cytokines, Anti-inflammatory, mental health, IL-6, clinical trials, drug, Infectious disease, immune system, novel coronavirus disease, Novel coronavirus, 2019 novel coronavirus, management, immunomodulatory, morbidity, therapeutic, death, Emerging infectious disease, therapeutic agent, Quality of life, Neurological complications, disease, therapeutic strategy, COVID-19 patients, TNF-α, Evidence, Fluoxetine, antidepressant, Neurological complication, Safe, life, focus, confirmed case, Serotonin, Tolerability, help, antiviral properties, class, present, selective, CCL-2, curative treatment, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, pro-inflammatory, Affect, widespread, effective, tested, identify, reported, absence, reducing, reduce, attenuate, serotonin reuptake inhibitor, 【제목키워드】 drug, help, selective,