This drug may protect against lung damage after COVID-19. It has been used for 70 years

American scientists have determined that the drug disulfiram, used for decades to treat alcoholism, may protect against lung damage and the risk of blood clots following a severe course of COVID-19. It will also help with other disorders that cause immune-related lung damage.

1. Recent studies by American doctors indicate that the drug disulfiram is effective in pocovidic lung damage
2. Until now, disulfiram has been used primarily in the treatment of alcoholism
3. Studies in rodents have shown that this drug prevents the formation of so-called NETs, ​​or extracellular neutrophilic networks that can be harmful to lung tissue and blood vessels
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

The study was conducted by scientists from Weill Cornell Medicine and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The drug disulfiram protected the test rodents against immune-mediated lung damage. The results were confirmed in two separate experiments: in infected animals koronawirusem SARS-CoV-2 and in animals with a syndrome of lung failure called TRALI (acute transfusion lung injury), which occurs in rare cases after blood transfusions.

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Both types of lung damage are caused in part by immune cells that form network-like structures. They are called NETs, ​​or extracellular neutrophilic networks. They can trap and kill infectious organisms, but they can also be harmful to lung tissue and blood vessels, causing fluid to build up in the lungs (edema) and promoting blood clots. Disulfiram blocks one stage of NET formation.

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Disulfiram – what is this drug? From rubber production to treating alcoholics

What is known about the drug disulfiram? As we read on the website of the Weill Cornell Medicine institute, this compound was originally used for the production of rubber, and was later tested as an anti-parasite agent. It has been accidentally observed that people who used it for this purpose started to feel bad every time they drank alcohol. This led to its approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in 1951 as a deterrent to alcohol consumption by people suffering from alcoholism.

In 2020, scientists discovered that disulfiram also inhibits part of the inflammatory process that can lead to the formation of NETs by white blood cells called neutrophils. The discovery prompted the testing of disulfiram as a NET blocker.

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Disulfiram a COVID-19

After confirming in laboratory experiments that disulfiram significantly inhibited NET production by human and murine neutrophils, scientists began testing it in the TRALI and COVID-19 models, two diseases known to be characterized by extensive neutrophil invasion in the lung associated with NET formation and often causes fatal lung damage.

When testing the TRALI model, scientists administered disulfiram to the rodents the day before and then three hours before the disease was induced. The drug allowed 95 percent of the time to survive. animals. For comparison — of the mice that were not given disulfiram, only 40 percent survived. Disulfiram apparently by reducing NET formation blocked progressive damage to lung tissue and thus allowed relatively rapid stabilization of lung function and recovery from initial damage.

Disulfiram was then tested in the COVID-19 model. “There are currently no good treatment options for COVID-19-related lung injuries, so it seems disulfiram is worth further research in this area, especially in patients with severe COVID-19.” — said Dr. Robert Schwartz, one of the study’s authors.

Disulfiram better than dexamethasone?

A study in golden hamsters showed that treatment with disulfiram the day before or the day after infection with SARS-CoV-2 led to clearly favorable results: less NET formation, less scar tissue (fibrosis) in the lungs, and changes in gene activity suggesting a significant reduction in harmful inflammatory response without compromising antiviral immunity.

By comparison, the standard anti-COVID-19 dexamethasone less protective of lung tissue from disease-related changes and led to higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs.

“The strong inhibitory effect of disulfiram on NET formation and the improvement of treatment outcomes in various rodent models underlines the potential of its use and the future development of even better inhibitors of NET formation in various diseases” — Dr. Schwartz said. He also said that other researchers have already started clinical trials of disulfiram in COVID-19 patients, but the results have yet to be published.

Also read:

1. Pfizer: Our antiviral drug reduces the risk of severe COVID-19 by 89%
2. What do the lungs look like after COVID-19?
3. What Happens to the Lungs During COVID-19? Pulmonologist: sick people can become disabled