In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, data showed that men seemed more prone to severe illness and death from the virus than women.
This trend led scientists to think there might be a connection between the virus and testosterone-related receptors in the body.
The Promising Drug: Proxalutamide
Scientists at Michigan Medicine decided to explore a drug meant for prostate cancer named proxalutamide. This drug acts by blocking an enzyme, TMPRSS2, controlled by testosterone receptors.
The interest was sparked because TMPRSS2 plays a role in allowing the COVID-19 virus to enter lung cells.
Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan, a director at Michigan Center, mentioned that they were already researching TMPRSS2 due to its significant role in over half of prostate cancer cases.
So, it was a logical step to see if the enzyme could be a point of intervention against the virus.
Testing the Drug Against COVID-19
The researchers decided to test proxalutamide’s effectiveness against the COVID-19 virus in cell cultures. The results were promising.
The drug successfully blocked the virus by binding to testosterone receptors, reducing levels of TMPRSS2 and another important element called ACE2.
Interestingly, proxalutamide was more effective against various versions of the COVID-19 virus than some other prostate cancer drugs. This was mainly due to its ability to neutralize the testosterone receptor.
When the researchers combined proxalutamide with an FDA-approved COVID-19 drug named remdesivir, the results were even better. Together, these drugs completely blocked the virus from causing infection.
Co-researcher Jonathan Sexton emphasized that using existing drugs in new ways can speed up the process of finding effective treatments.
This approach is quicker because the drugs have already passed some safety tests.
The team didn’t stop there. They wanted to see if proxalutamide could help combat one of the virus’s most dangerous effects, the so-called “cytokine storm,” which is a severe inflammatory response that damages the lungs and other organs.
In lab tests with mice, the drug decreased inflammation in the lungs, reduced the number of cells that died, and lowered the death rate.
Chinnaiyan shared an exciting possibility. He suggests that combining proxalutamide with remdesivir could be a powerful way to attack the virus from multiple angles, similar to how a combination of drugs has proven effective against HIV.
Currently, while proxalutamide is undergoing advanced trials for prostate cancer, it is in the early stages of trials as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
If you care about long COVID, please read studies about Long COVID fatigue impacts the quality of life more than certain cancers, and a New study sheds light on Long COVID symptoms and recovery patterns.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about new evidence on rare blood clots after COVID-19 vaccination, and how diets could help manage post-COVID syndrome.
The study was published in PNAS.
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