Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Amantadine and Memantine: Possible Therapeutics for the Treatment of Covid-19?
Open Access
- 9 November 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Journal of Personalized Medicine
- Vol. 10 (4), 217
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm10040217
Abstract
We have reviewed current data on the anti-inflammatory effects of amantadine and memantine in clinical and in vivo models of inflammation, and we propose that these effects have potential interest for the treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19 disease). To that end, we performed a literature search using the PubMed Database from 1966 up to October 31 2020, crossing the terms “amantadine” and “memantine” with “inflammation” and “anti-inflammatory”. Amantadine and/or memantine have shown anti-inflammatory effects in chronic hepatitis C, in neuroinflammation induced by sepsis and by lipopolysaccharides, experimental models of multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and respiratory diseases. Since the inflammatory response is one of the main pathogenetic mechanisms in the progression of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, anti-inflammatory effects of amantadine and memantine could be hypothetically useful in the treatment of this condition. This potential utility deserves further research.This publication has 43 references indexed in Scilit:
- Contra-directional Coupling of Nur77 and Nurr1 in Neurodegeneration: A Novel Mechanism for Memantine-Induced Anti-inflammation and Anti-mitochondrial ImpairmentMolecular Neurobiology, 2015
- Serum MicroRNA-125b as a Potential Biomarker for Glioma DiagnosisMolecular Neurobiology, 2014
- Effects of antagonists of glutamate receptors on pro-inflammatory cytokines in the brain cortex of rats subjected to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitisJournal of Neuroimmunology, 2013
- Placebo-Controlled Trial of Amantadine for Severe Traumatic Brain InjuryThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2012
- Amantadine protects dopamine neurons by a dual action: Reducing activation of microglia and inducing expression of GNDF in astrogliaNeuropharmacology, 2011
- Structure of the amantadine binding site of influenza M2 proton channels in lipid bilayersNature, 2010
- Memantine protects against LPS-induced neuroinflammation, restores behaviorally-induced gene expression and spatial learning in the ratNeuroscience, 2006
- Pegylated Interferon α-2b, Ribavirin and Amantadine for Chronic Hepatitis CDigestive Diseases and Sciences, 2005
- Amantadine therapy in renal transplant patients with hepatitis C virus infectionJournal of Clinical Virology, 2004
- Amantadine inhibits RANTES production by influenzavirus‐infected human bronchial epithelial cellsBritish Journal of Pharmacology, 2001