Can anti-parasitic drugs help control COVID-19?

Yasin Panahi; Masoomeh Dadkhah; Sahand Talei; Zahra Gharari; Vahid Asghariazar; Arash Abdolmaleki; Somayeh Matin; Soheila Molaei

doi:10.2217/fvl-2021-0160

Can anti-parasitic drugs help control COVID-19?

Future Virol. 2022 Mar:10.2217/fvl-2021-0160. doi: 10.2217/fvl-2021-0160. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Authors

Yasin Panahi¹, Masoomeh Dadkhah², Sahand Talei³, Zahra Gharari⁴, Vahid Asghariazar⁵, Arash Abdolmaleki^{6

7}, Somayeh Matin⁸, Soheila Molaei^{2

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
² Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
³ School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Al-Zahra University, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Deputy of Research & Technology, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
⁶ Department of Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Advanced Technologies, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Namin, Iran.
⁷ Bio Science & Biotechnology Research center (BBRC), Sabalan University of Advanced Technologies (SUAT), Namin, Iran.
⁸ Department of Internal Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
⁹ Zoonoses Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.

Abstract

Novel COVID-19 is a public health emergency that poses a serious threat to people worldwide. Given the virus spreading so quickly, novel antiviral medications are desperately needed. Repurposing existing drugs is the first strategy. Anti-parasitic drugs were among the first to be considered as a potential treatment option for this disease. Even though many papers have discussed the efficacy of various anti-parasitic drugs in treating COVID-19 separately, so far, no single study comprehensively discussed these drugs. This study reviews some anti-parasitic recommended drugs to treat COVID-19, in terms of function and in vitro as well as clinical results. Finally, we briefly review the advanced techniques, such as artificial intelligence, that have been used to find effective drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; anti-parasitic drugs; artificial intelligence; drug repositioning; epidemic; pandemic.

Publication types

Review