Chitin and chitosan as tools to combat COVID-19: A triple approach

Mehrnoush Safarzadeh; Sahar Sadeghi; Mahdieh Azizi; Mohsen Rastegari-Pouyani; Ramin Pouriran; Mostafa Haji Molla Hoseini

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.04.157

Chitin and chitosan as tools to combat COVID-19: A triple approach

Int J Biol Macromol. 2021 Jul 31:183:235-244. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.04.157. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Authors

Mehrnoush Safarzadeh¹, Sahar Sadeghi², Mahdieh Azizi³, Mohsen Rastegari-Pouyani¹, Ramin Pouriran⁴, Mostafa Haji Molla Hoseini⁵

Affiliations

¹ Student Research Committee, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
⁴ School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Medical Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: m.mollahoseini@sbmu.ac.ir.

Abstract

The progressive and fatal outbreak of the newly emerged coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, necessitates rigorous collaboration of all health care systems and researchers from all around the world to bring such a devastating pandemic under control. As there is so far no officially approved drug or ideal vaccine for this disease, investigations on this infectious disease are actively pursued. Chitin and chitosan have shown promising results against viral infections. In this review, we first delve into the problematic consequences of viral pandemics followed by an introduction on SARS-CoV-2 taxonomical classification. Then, we elaborate on the immunology of COVID-19. Common antiviral therapies and their related limitations are described and finally, the potential applicability of chitin and chitosan to fight this overwhelming viral pandemic is addressed.

Keywords: COVID-19; Chitin; Chitosan; SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
COVID-19 / epidemiology
COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
Chitin / therapeutic use*
Chitosan / therapeutic use*
Humans
Pandemics*
SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

Antiviral Agents
Chitin
Chitosan