TY - JOUR

T1 - Erythropoietin as candidate for supportive treatment of severe COVID-19

AU - Ehrenreich, Hannelore

AU - Weissenborn, Karin

AU - Begemann, Martin

AU - Busch, Markus

AU - Vieta, Eduard

AU - Miskowiak, Kamilla W.

PY - 2020/6/16

Y1 - 2020/6/16

N2 - In light of the present therapeutic situation in COVID-19, any measure to improve course and outcome of seriously affected individuals is of utmost importance. We recap here evidence that supports the use of human recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) for ameliorating course and outcome of seriously ill COVID-19 patients. This brief expert review grounds on available subject-relevant literature searched until May 14, 2020, including Medline, Google Scholar, and preprint servers. We delineate in brief sections, each introduced by a summary of respective COVID-19 references, how EPO may target a number of the gravest sequelae of these patients. EPO is expected to: (1) improve respiration at several levels including lung, brainstem, spinal cord and respiratory muscles; (2) counteract overshooting inflammation caused by cytokine storm/ inflammasome; (3) act neuroprotective and neuroregenerative in brain and peripheral nervous system. Based on this accumulating experimental and clinical evidence, we finally provide the research design for a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial including severely affected patients, which is planned to start shortly.

AB - In light of the present therapeutic situation in COVID-19, any measure to improve course and outcome of seriously affected individuals is of utmost importance. We recap here evidence that supports the use of human recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) for ameliorating course and outcome of seriously ill COVID-19 patients. This brief expert review grounds on available subject-relevant literature searched until May 14, 2020, including Medline, Google Scholar, and preprint servers. We delineate in brief sections, each introduced by a summary of respective COVID-19 references, how EPO may target a number of the gravest sequelae of these patients. EPO is expected to: (1) improve respiration at several levels including lung, brainstem, spinal cord and respiratory muscles; (2) counteract overshooting inflammation caused by cytokine storm/ inflammasome; (3) act neuroprotective and neuroregenerative in brain and peripheral nervous system. Based on this accumulating experimental and clinical evidence, we finally provide the research design for a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial including severely affected patients, which is planned to start shortly.

KW - SARS-CoV-2

KW - recombinant human erythropoietin

KW - EPO

KW - respiratory function

KW - inflammation

KW - cytokine storm

KW - neuroprotection

KW - clinical trial design

KW - RECOMBINANT-HUMAN-ERYTHROPOIETIN

KW - ACUTE LUNG INJURY

KW - DOUBLE-BLIND

KW - PATHOGENESIS

KW - INFECTION

KW - MODEL

KW - MICE

U2 - 10.1186/s10020-020-00186-y

DO - 10.1186/s10020-020-00186-y

M3 - Review

C2 - 32546125

VL - 26

JO - Molecular Medicine

JF - Molecular Medicine

SN - 1076-1551

IS - 1

M1 - 58

ER -