Existing drugs used for diabetes can be used to treat Covid: Study

There is an urgent need to shortlist effective therapeutics from the existing pool of potential compounds, the researcher said

New research that reviewed biomolecular relationships among Covid-19, ageing and diabetes, suggested that existing drugs used to treat diabetes can be potentially used to treat Covid-19. Additionally, the study found naturally existing biomolecules that can be also explored in combination for Covid treatment.

The study was presented by Dr Amjad Husain, Principal Scientist at Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), along with researchers from University of Arizona.

Dr Husain said, ”With the nearly two-year-long Covid-19 pandemic continuing to ravage the world, we are beginning to slowly understand the virus and its functioning.”

It is now known that the effects of the viral infection are severe on the aging population and people with existing diabetic conditions. There are studies being conducted worldwide on the effects of aging and diabetes on the short- and long-term outcomes of the Covid-19 infection.

“There is an urgent need to shortlist effective therapeutics from the existing pool of potential compounds,” as the time taken to discover a new drug and its approval takes longer, said the lead researcher.

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Published review shows that at the molecular level, there are intersecting pathways that are common to diabetes, ageing, and Covid-19.

All three conditions are associated with oxidative stress and lowering of the immune response and complications arising from them lead to the onset of numerous other diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, eye diseases, neuropathy (nerve diseases), and nephropathy (kidney problems).

"Researchers believe that an ideal therapeutic candidate for Covid-19 should be able to target the pathways that are common to diabetes, ageing and the SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are classes of compounds such as polyphenols found in plant-based food — curcumin (found in turmeric), and resveratrol (found in grapes), have been shown to not only slow down the ageing process but also possess anti-viral properties,” said Dr. Husain.

Some other polyphenols that the researchers have identified as being useful for both Covid-19 treatment and comorbidity conditions such as diabetes and ageing may include catechins (present in green tea, cocoa and berries), procyanidins (found in apples, cinnamon and grape skin), and theaflavin (found in black tea).

Researchers also present evidence of some existing potential anti-ageing drugs such as Rapamycin that can be explored for the Covid-19 treatment because of the common biochemical pathways associated with these diseases. Another such example is Metformin, which is usually used to control blood sugar.

The study has also performed computational studies to show that lipids present in cell membranes play an important role in coronavirus infectivity.