An Important Drug for COVID 19 (Auranofin)

In parallel life style, COVID 19 changed the course of life in an instant. There is no substitute for a vaccine to get back the previous life & destroy the virus. We are familiar with the names of many drugs, such as hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID 19. This blog will introduce us to a new drug that will be able to show the direction in the future. The name of the drug is Auranofin.

Auranofin is a form of gold that reduces some of the effects of the inflammatory process in the body. Auranofin appears to induce heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) mRNA. Heme oxygenase 1 is an inducible heme-degrading enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties.

  Auranofin is a safe drug for human & it mainly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have shown that the FDA-approved drug, auranofin, inhibits SARS-COV-2 replication in human cells at low micro molar concentration.

Chemical Formula of Auranofin- C20H34AuO9PS.

We should know what features should be present in a drug that it will be able to be used as a vaccine for the virus.

Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 cannot reproduce on its own. Instead it uses host cell proteins to manufacture copies of itself. Effective drugs need to interfere with this replication process, shutting down the virus’s ability to proliferate inside the host.

Let’s take a look why auranofin was chosen-

Auranofin treatment resulted in significant reduction in SARS-COV-2-induced cytokines, signaling proteins that draw immune cells to the site of infection in human cells. This data indicates that auranofin could be a useful drug to limit SARS-CoV-2 infection. 

Normally, the immune system works by fighting off invading pathogens and repairing damage to the body’s tissues. But many coronavirus-infected patients who die do so because of something called a “cytokine storm,” in which the body’s immune response spirals out of control, killing healthy tissue and leading to organ failure. Auranofin not only could inhibit replication of SARS-CoV-2, mitigating the infection, but also reduce the associated lung damage that often leads to severe respiratory distress and even death.

Auranofin can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections.

Result -

• Treatment of human cells infected by corona virus with auranofin resulted in a 95% reduction in the viral RNA at 48 h after infection. This treatment resulted in significant reduction of coronavirus-induced inflammation.

Although this drug is still in clinical trials, we hope that this drug will put an end to this situation. But we have to take some precautions till that good day. So, stay safe & happy. Maintains the social distance.