Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Egypt.
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
Med Hypotheses. 2020 Oct;143:110203. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110203. Epub 2020 Aug 19.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) naturally occur in plants and all living organisms. They play an important role in gene regulation through binding toa specific region in open reading frames (ORFs) and/or untranslated regions (UTRs) to block the translation processes through either degrading or blocking mRNA resulting in knocking down or suppression of targeted genes. Plants and many organisms protect themselves from viruses through the production of miRNAs, which are complementary to 3UTR of viruses resulting in degrading the viral mRNA or block the translation on ribosomes. As pandemic, COVID-19, and its consequences on the global economy, we hypothesized a new approach for the treatment of COVID-19 paints. This approach includes designing a mix of miRNAs targeting several regions on COVID-19 open reading frame (ORF) and 3 UTR and suitable delivery system targeting respiratory system tissues. These synthesized miRNAs may be delivered to humansinnon-viral delivery systems such as liposomes like exosome (extracellular vesicle), polymer-based carriers, or inorganic nanoparticles, which are considered to be more suitable for human use.
微小 RNA(miRNA)自然存在于植物和所有生物中。它们通过与开放阅读框(ORF)和/或非翻译区(UTR)中的特定区域结合,在基因调控中发挥重要作用,通过降解或阻断 mRNA 来阻止翻译过程,从而敲低或抑制靶基因。植物和许多生物通过产生与病毒 3UTR 互补的 miRNA 来保护自己免受病毒侵害,从而导致病毒 mRNA 降解或在核糖体上阻断翻译。鉴于大流行 COVID-19 及其对全球经济的影响,我们假设了一种治疗 COVID-19 的新方法。这种方法包括设计一种针对 COVID-19 开放阅读框(ORF)和 3UTR 上多个区域的 miRNA 混合物,并设计一种针对呼吸系统组织的合适的递送系统。这些合成的 miRNA 可以通过非病毒递送系统递送到人体,如脂质体(如外泌体(细胞外囊泡))、基于聚合物的载体或无机纳米颗粒,这些系统被认为更适合人类使用。