Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the respiratory infection known as COVID-19. From an immunopathological standpoint, coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 induce increased levels of a variety of T-helper 1 (Th1) and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, CCL2 protein, and CXCL10 protein. In the absence of proven antiviral agents or an effective vaccine, substances with immunomodulatory activity may be able to inhibit inflammatory and Th1 cytokines and/or yield an anti-inflammatory and/or Th2 immune response to counteract COVID-19 symptoms and severity. This report briefly describes the following four unconventional but commercially accessible immunomodulatory agents that can be employed in clinical trials to evaluate their effectiveness at alleviating disease symptoms and severity: low-dose oral interferon alpha, microdose DNA, low-dose thimerosal, and phytocannabinoids.
Document Type
Response or Comment
Publication Date
5-13-2020
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00288-20
Repository Citation
Mamber, Stephen W.; Krakowka, Steven; Osborn, Jeffrey L.; Saberski, Lloyd; Rhodes, Ryan G.; Dahlberg, Albert E.; Pond-Tor, Sunthorn; Fitzgerald, Kara; Wright, Neal; Beseme, Sarah; and McMichael, John, "Can Unconventional Immunomodulatory Agents Help Alleviate COVID-19 Symptoms and Severity?" (2020). Biology Faculty Publications. 187.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/biology_facpub/187
Notes/Citation Information
Published in mSphere, v. 5, issue 3, p. 1-6.
Copyright © 2020 Mamber et al.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.