Department of Surgery, Nimni-Cordaba Tissue Engineering and Drug Discovery Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Med Hypotheses. 2020 Dec;145:110333. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110333. Epub 2020 Oct 5.
Zinc and the combination with zinc ionophore have been reported in basic research and several clinical investigations as a potentially viable and economical preventive and therapeutic options for COVID-19 treatment. Zinc is a vital microelement that actively supports respiratory epithelium barrier integrity, innate and adaptive immune functions, and inflammatory regulations. Moreover, zinc may also prevent viral entry, suppress viral replication, and mitigate the damages due to oxidative stress and hyperinflammatory reaction in patients with respiratory infections. Hinokitiol (β-thujaplicin) is a natural monoterpenoid and is considered as a safe zinc ionophore to help zinc transport into cells. It has been widely used in skin and oral care, and therapeutic products for its potent antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer applications. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the significant morbidity and mortality exist in the high-risk group of patients associated with other respiratory infections such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and dengue fever. There is an urgent need for the development of inexpensive, safe, and effective therapeutics to prevent and treat these viral infections. Considering that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the most studied zinc ionophore drug for COVID-19, is linked to potentially serious side effects, we propose the implementation of hinokitiol as a zinc ionophore and anti-infective agent for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and other viral infections.
锌以及锌离子载体的联合应用已在基础研究和多项临床研究中被报道为 COVID-19 治疗中一种具有潜在可行性和经济性的预防和治疗选择。锌是一种重要的微量元素，它积极支持呼吸道上皮屏障的完整性、固有和适应性免疫功能以及炎症调节。此外，锌还可能预防病毒进入、抑制病毒复制，并减轻呼吸道感染患者因氧化应激和过度炎症反应而造成的损害。桧木醇（β-柏木脑）是一种天然单萜类化合物，被认为是一种安全的锌离子载体，有助于锌进入细胞的转运。它已广泛用于皮肤和口腔护理以及治疗产品，因其具有强效的抗病毒、抗菌、抗真菌、抗炎和抗癌作用。目前正在发生的 COVID-19 大流行以及与其他呼吸道感染（如流感、呼吸道合胞病毒和登革热）相关的高危患者群体中存在显著的发病率和死亡率。迫切需要开发廉价、安全和有效的治疗方法来预防和治疗这些病毒感染。鉴于羟氯喹（HCQ）是研究最多的 COVID-19 锌离子载体药物，与潜在的严重副作用相关，我们建议将桧木醇作为锌离子载体和抗感染剂用于 COVID-19 和其他病毒感染的预防和治疗。
