The lysosome: A potential juncture between SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and Niemann-Pick disease type C, with therapeutic implications.

ABSTRACT: Drug repurposing is potentially the fastest available option in the race to identify safe and efficacious drugs that can be used to prevent and/or treat COVID-19. By describing the life cycle of the newly emergent coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in light of emerging data on the therapeutic efficacy of various repurposed antimicrobials undergoing testing against the virus, we highlight in this review a possible mechanistic convergence between some of these tested compounds. Specifically, we propose that the lysosomotropic effects of hydroxychloroquine and several other drugs undergoing testing may be responsible for their demonstrated in vitro antiviral activities against COVID-19. Moreover, we propose that Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC), a lysosomal storage disorder, may provide new insights i

SUBMITTER: Ballout RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7383733 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature