Interferon-Lambda Intranasal Protection and Differential Sex Pathology in a Murine Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.
mBio
; 12(6): e0275621, 2021 12 21.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34724828
ABSTRACT
Outbreaks of emerging viral pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are a major medical challenge. There is a pressing need for antivirals that can be rapidly deployed to curb infection and dissemination. We determined the efficacy of interferon lambda-1 (IFN-λ) as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection and reduce pathology in a mouse model of disease. IFN-λ significantly limited SARS-CoV-2 production in primary human bronchial epithelial cells in culture. Pretreatment of human lung cells with IFN-λ completely blocked infectious virus production, and treatment with IFN-λ at the time of infection inhibited virus production more than 10-fold. To interrogate the protective effects of IFN-λ in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, transgenic mice expressing the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) were tested. One dose of IFN-λ administered intranasally was found to reduce animal morbidity and mortality. Our study with SARS-CoV-2 also revealed a sex differential in disease outcome. Male mice had higher mortality, reflecting the more severe symptoms and mortality found in male patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The results indicate that IFN-λ potentially can treat early stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection and decrease pathology, and this murine model can be used to investigate the sex differential documented in COVID-19. IMPORTANCE The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed millions of lives worldwide. In this report, we used a preclinical mouse model to investigate the prophylactic and therapeutic value of intranasal IFN-λ for this acute respiratory disease. Specific vaccines have been responsible for curbing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in developed nations. However, vaccines require time to generate and keep pace with antigenic variants. There is a need for broad-spectrum prophylactic and therapeutic agents to combat new emerging viral pathogens. Our mouse model suggests IFN-λ has clinical utility, and it reflects the well-documented finding that male COVID-19 patients manifest more severe symptoms and mortality. Understanding this sex bias is critical for considering therapeutic approaches to COVID-19.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
4_TD
/
6_ODS3_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Antivirais
/
Interferons
/
Células Epiteliais
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
MBio
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article