A clinical study from Spain recently
confirmed laboratory experiments made by researchers of Goethe University
Frankfurt and University of Kent who showed that the
protease inhibitor aprotinin prevented cells to be infected by SARS-CoV2. The authors
of the clinical study report that patients receiving an aprotinin aerosol could
be discharged from hospital significantly earlier.
FRANKFURT. SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes
COVID-19, needs its spike proteins to dock onto proteins (ACE receptors) on the
surface of the host cells. Before this docking is possible, parts of the spike
protein have to be cleaved by host cell's enzymes called proteases. In 2020, a
scientific team led by Professor Jindrich Cinatl (Goethe University Frankfurt,
Germany), Professor Martin Michaelis and Professor Mark Wass (both University
of Kent, UK), conducted cell culture experiments and found that aprotinin, a
protease inhibitor, could inhibit virus replications by preventing SARS-CoV-2
entry into host cells.
In a more recent study, the research
consortium further showed that aprotinin is also effective against the Delta
and Omicron variants.
Now, a Spanish research consortium has
published the findings of a phase III clinical study investigating the use of
an aprotinin aerosol in COVID-19 patients. Among other improvements, aprotinin
treatment reduced the length of hospital stays by five days.
Professor Jindrich Cinatl, Goethe
University Frankfurt, said: “This shows how scientific collaborations work even
without a direct relationship between researchers. I am very glad that our cell
culture study inspired this successful clinical trial".
Professor Martin Michaelis, University of
Kent, said: “Our cell culture data looked very convincing. It is exciting that
aprotinin has now also been shown to be effective against COVID-19 in
patients."
Spanish
study: Francisco Javier Redondo-Calvo et. al.:
Aprotinin treatment against SARS-CoV-2: A randomized phase III study to
evaluate the safety and efficacy of a pan-protease inhibitor for moderate
COVID-19. Eur. J. Clin. Invest. (2022) https://doi.org/10.1111/eci.13776
More
about the studies of Goethe University and University of Kent:
1) The drug aprotinin inhibits entry of
SARS-CoV2 in host cells https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/englisch/the-drug-aprotinin-inhibits-entry-of-sars-cov2-in-host-cells/
2) Researchers of the University of Kent
and Goethe-University find explanation why the Omicron variant causes less
severe disease https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/englisch/researchers-of-the-university-of-kent-and-goethe-university-find-explanation-why-the-omicron-variant-causes-less-severe-disease/
Further
Information:
Professor Jindrich
Cinatl
Institute of Medical Virology
University Hospital Frankfurt and Goethe University Frankfurt
Phone.: +49 (0) 69 6301-6409
cinatl@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Professor Martin Michaelis
School of Biosciences
University of Kent
Phone: +44 (0)1227 82-7804
Mobile: +44 (0)7561 333 094
m.michaelis@kent.ac.uk
