Classical drug digitoxin inhibits influenza cytokine storm, with implications for COVID-19 therapy.
Harvey B Pollard, Bette S. Pollard, John R. Pollard
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.09.034983
Abstract
Influenza viruses, corona viruses and related pneumotropic viruses cause sickness and death partly by inducing a hyper-proinflammatory response by immune cells and cytokines in the host airway. Here we show that the cardiac glycoside digitoxin suppresses this response induced by influenza virus strain A/Wuhan/H3N2/359/95 in the cotton rat lung. The cytokines TNFa, GRO/KC, MIP2, MCP1, TGFb, and IFNg. are significantly reduced. Since the hyper-proinflammatory overproduction of cytokines is a host response, we suggest that digitoxin may have therapeutic potential for not only influenza and but also for coronovirus infections.
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