Auranofin is an FDA-approved disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been used for decades for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This gold(I) compound has anti-inflammatory properties because it reduces IL-6 expression via inhibition of the NF-κB-IL-6-STAT3 signaling pathway. Also, by inhibiting redox enzymes such as thioredoxin reductase, auranofin increases cellular oxidative stress and promotes apoptosis. Auranofin also possesses antiviral properties. Recently, it was reported that auranofin reduced by 95% SARS-CoV-2 RNA in infected human cells in vitro and decreased SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine expression, including IL-6. During SARS-CoV-2 infection, a cytokine storm involving IL-6 increases severity of illness and worsens prognosis. Therefore, auranofin could, in our point of view, reduce pathology due to SARS-CoV-2-induced IL-6. COVID-19 is a rapidly-evolving respiratory disease now distributed worldwide. Strikingly high numbers of new COVID-19 cases are reported daily. We have begun a race to vaccinate people, but due to the complex logistics of this effort, the virus will continue to spread before all humans can be immunized, and new variants that may be less well contained by current vaccines are of concern. The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health care systems and new treatments to reduce mortality are urgently needed. We encourage to further evaluate the potential of auranofin in the treatment of COVID-19 in vitro and in animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection and, if preliminary data are promising, in clinical trials with COVID-19 patients. In our opinion, auranofin has the potential to become a valuable addition to available therapies in this pandemic.

Auranofin 是 FDA 批准的改善疾病的抗风湿药，几十年来一直用于治疗类风湿性关节炎。这种金（I）化合物具有抗炎特性，因为它可以降低 IL-6 的表达通过抑制 NF-κB-IL-6-STAT3 信号通路。此外，通过抑制氧化还原酶如硫氧还蛋白还原酶，金诺芬增加细胞氧化应激并促进细胞凋亡。金诺芬还具有抗病毒特性。最近，据报道金诺芬在受感染的人类细胞中减少了 95% SARS-CoV-2 RNA体外并降低 SARS-CoV-2 诱导的细胞因子表达，包括 IL-6。在 SARS-CoV-2 感染期间，涉及 IL-6 的细胞因子风暴会增加疾病的严重程度并恶化预后。因此，在我们看来，金诺芬可以减少由 SARS-CoV-2 诱导的 IL-6 引起的病理。COVID-19 是一种发展迅速的呼吸系统疾病，现已遍布全球。每天报告的新 COVID-19 病例数量惊人。我们已经开始了为人们接种疫苗的竞赛，但由于这项工作的复杂后勤工作，病毒将继续传播，然后所有人才能获得免疫，而当前疫苗可能无法很好地控制的新变种令人担忧。COVID-19 大流行使医疗保健系统不堪重负，迫切需要降低死亡率的新疗法。体外在 SARS-CoV-2 感染的动物模型中，如果初步数据有希望，在 COVID-19 患者的临床试验中。我们认为，金诺芬有可能成为此次大流行中可用疗法的宝贵补充。