ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has prompted an urgent need to identify effective medicines for the prevention and treatment of the disease. A comparative analysis between SARS-CoV-2 and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) can expand the available knowledge regarding the virology and potential drug targets against these viruses. Interestingly, comparing HCV with SARS-CoV-2 reveals major similarities between them, ranging from the ion channels that are utilized, to the symptoms that are exhibited by patients. Via this comparative analysis, and from what is known about HCV, the most promising treatments for COVID-19 can focus on the reduction of viral load, treatment of pulmonary system damages, and reduction of inflammation. In particular, the drugs that show most potential in this regard include ritonavir, a combination of peg-IFN, and lumacaftor-ivacaftor. This review anaylses SARS-CoV-2 from the perspective of the role of ion homeostasis and channels in viral pathomechanism. We also highlight other novel treatment approaches that can be used for both treatment and prevention of COVID-19. The relevance of this review is to offer high-quality evidence that can be used as the basis for the identification of potential solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.

摘要

由严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起的COVID-19大流行促使迫切需要确定预防和治疗该疾病的有效药物。SARS-CoV-2与丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）之间的比较分析可以扩展有关病毒学和针对这些病毒的潜在药物靶标的可用知识。有趣的是，将HCV与SARS-CoV-2进行比较，发现它们之间的主要相似性，从利用的离子通道到患者表现出的症状不等。通过这种比较分析，从对HCV的了解中，COVID-19的最有前途的治疗方法可以集中在减少病毒载量，治疗肺系统损害和减少炎症方面。尤其是，在这方面表现出最大潜力的药物包括利托那韦，peg-IFN和lumacaftor-ivacaftor的组合。这篇综述从离子稳态和通道在病毒病理机制中的作用角度分析了SARS-CoV-2。我们还将重点介绍可用于治疗和预防COVID-19的其他新颖治疗方法。此次审查的意义在于提供高质量的证据，这些证据可作为识别COVID-19大流行潜在解决方案的基础。