Pharmacological hypothesis: TPC2 antagonist tetrandrine as a potential therapeutic agent for COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: More than ten million patients worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) to date (WHO situation report, 1st July 2020). There is no vaccine to prevent infection with the causative organism, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), nor a cure. In the struggle to devise potentially useful therapeutics in record time, the repurposing of existing compounds is a key route of action. In this hypothesis paper, we argue that the bisbenzylisoquinoline and calcium channel blocker tetrandrine, originally extracted from the plant Stephania tetrandra and utilized in traditional Chinese medicine, may have potential in the treatment of COVID-19 and should be further investigated. We collate and review evidence for tetrandrine's putative mechanism of action

SUBMITTER: Heister PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7503088 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature