Abstract
Macrolides (e.g., erythromycin, fidaxomicin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin) are a class of bacteriostatic antibiotics commonly employed in medicine against various gram-positive and atypical bacterial species mostly related to respiratory tract infections, besides they possess anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019 and resulted in a continuing pandemic. Macrolides have been extensively researched as broad adjunctive therapy for COVID-19 due to its immunostimulant abilities. Among such class of drugs, azithromycin is described as azalide and is well-known for its ability to decrease the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including matrix metalloproteinases, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8. In fact, a report recently published highlighted the effectiveness of combining azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment. Indeed, it has been underlined that azithromycin quickly prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection by raising the levels of both interferons and interferon-stimulated proteins at the same time which reduces the virus replication and release. In this sense, the current review aims to evaluate the applications of macrolides for the treatment of COVID-19.
Highlights
Humanity is currently facing a deadly threat, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, which is due to the novel 2019 coronavirus outbreak, known as Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) [1]
Macrolides are a class of bacteriostatic antibiotics commonly employed in medical practice against various gram-positive and atypical bacterial species mostly related to respiratory tract infections
This review seeks to evaluate the applications of macrolides in the possible treatment of COVID-19, with primary considerations on the most relevant macrolide, i.e., azithromycin, in a plausible curative mixture
Summary
Humanity is currently facing a deadly threat, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, which is due to the novel 2019 coronavirus outbreak, known as Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) [1]. Macrolides (for example, erythromycin, fidaxomicin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin) are a class of bacteriostatic antibiotics commonly employed in medical practice against various gram-positive and atypical bacterial species mostly related to respiratory tract infections Besides their antibacterial properties, macrolides are reported to have antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory effects [3,4,5]. Due to its immunomodulating activities, macrolides have been researched to a great extent as a broad adjunctive therapy against viral respiratory infections, influenza inclusive [6] In this sense, this review seeks to evaluate the applications of macrolides in the possible treatment of COVID-19, with primary considerations on the most relevant macrolide, i.e., azithromycin, in a plausible curative mixture
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
