Wu Xin-Jun, Oppelt Karen A, Fan Ming, Marie Mona A, Swyers Madison M, Williams Ashley J, Lemasson Isabelle M, Roper Rachel L, Bolin Paul, Yang Li V
Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States.
Department of Comparative Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Jul 9;16:1549296. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1549296. eCollection 2025.
COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 19) is caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) in the respiratory system and other organ systems. Tissue injuries resulting from viral infection and host hyperinflammatory responses may lead to moderate to severe pneumonia, systemic complications, and even death. While anti-inflammatory agents have been used to treat patients with severe COVID-19, their therapeutic effects are limited. GPR4 (G protein-coupled receptor 4) is a pro-inflammatory receptor expressed on vascular endothelial cells, regulating leukocyte infiltration and inflammatory responses. In this study, we evaluated the effects of a GPR4 antagonist, NE-52-QQ57, in the SARS-CoV-2-infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mouse model. Our results demonstrated that GPR4 antagonist treatment increased the survival rate in this severe COVID-19 mouse model. The inflammatory response, characterized by proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, was reduced in the GPR4 antagonist group compared with the vehicle group. Additionally, both SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy numbers and infectious viral titers in the mouse lung were decreased in the GPR4 antagonist group. The percentage of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-positive mouse brains was also decreased in the GPR4 antagonist group compared to the vehicle group. Furthermore, the GPR4 antagonist inhibited SARS-CoV-2 propagation in Vero E6 and Caco-2 cells. Together, these results suggest that GPR4 antagonism may be explored as a novel approach for the treatment of COVID-19 and other similar viral diseases.
新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)是由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)感染呼吸系统及其他器官系统所致。病毒感染和宿主过度炎症反应引起的组织损伤可能导致中度至重度肺炎、全身并发症甚至死亡。虽然抗炎药物已被用于治疗重症COVID-19患者,但其治疗效果有限。G蛋白偶联受体4(GPR4)是一种在血管内皮细胞上表达的促炎受体,可调节白细胞浸润和炎症反应。在本研究中,我们评估了GPR4拮抗剂NE-52-QQ57在感染SARS-CoV-2的K18-hACE2转基因小鼠模型中的作用。我们的结果表明,在这个重症COVID-19小鼠模型中,GPR4拮抗剂治疗可提高生存率。与载体组相比,GPR4拮抗剂组中以促炎细胞因子和趋化因子为特征的炎症反应有所减轻。此外,GPR4拮抗剂组小鼠肺内的SARS-CoV-2 RNA拷贝数和传染性病毒滴度均降低。与载体组相比,GPR4拮抗剂组中SARS-CoV-2抗原阳性小鼠脑的百分比也降低。此外,GPR4拮抗剂可抑制SARS-CoV-2在Vero E6细胞和Caco-2细胞中的增殖。综上所述,这些结果表明,GPR4拮抗作用有望作为一种治疗COVID-19和其他类似病毒性疾病的新方法进行探索。
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