Nitric oxide as a therapeutic option for COVID-19 treatment: a concise perspective

Abstract

In the prevailing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) times, scientists are eager to develop vaccines against COVID-19, and careful measures are being taken to develop an effective drug. Meanwhile, several antiviral compounds have been repurposed for COVID-19 treatment, and drug repurposing has yielded satisfactory results. In the meantime, nitric oxide (NO) is also under clinical trials to find its potentiality as anticoronavirus. This work aims to describe the therapeutic potential of NO for the treatment of deadly COVID-19. The significance of NO in mitigating COVID-19-associated symptomatic complications has also been addressed. NO being a molecule of significant biological interest is naturally synthesized in mammals and is the first member of the “gasotransmitters”. Biosynthesis and biological target studies reveal that this molecule bears the potential to stabilize oxidation stress and on the other hand oxidation stress has been the major cause of co-morbidity deaths of COVID-19. NO has already been reported to be an effective anticorona (first strains of corona virus). Within the past two months there has been an increased focus on the potential of NO for treatment of coronavirus and COVID-19 infection. R-107 and COViNOX are the two famous forms of NO-based prodrugs under clinical investigation against COVID-19. Therefore, it is worth presenting a literature survey based on the view to find utility of this simple molecule in treating COVID-19, a possible mechanism of action against coronavirus and future perspectives entailed with the research. It also becomes fruitful to introduce the use of NO boosters and clinically approved NO-releasing compounds purposeful in supplying NO if its bioavailability is found to be less than the optimal level. So, the profound antiviral effects of NO against coronavirus, and also the role it plays in relieving symptomatic severity of COVID-19 are supportive of the fact to declare NO as a therapeutic option for this disease.