tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
mBio
. 2021 Nov 2;e0275621.
doi: 10.1128/mBio.02756-21. Online ahead of print.
Interferon-Lambda Intranasal Protection and Differential Sex Pathology in a Murine Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Sook-Young Sohn[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janet Hearing[SUP] 1 [/SUP], JoAnn Mugavero[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Varvara Kirillov[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elena Gorbunova[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luke Helminiak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Smruti Mishra[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Erich Mackow[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Patrick Hearing[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nancy C Reich[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hwan Keun Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Outbreaks of emerging viral pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are a major medical challenge. There is a pressing need for antivirals that can be rapidly deployed to curb infection and dissemination. We determined the efficacy of interferon lambda-1 (IFN-λ) as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection and reduce pathology in a mouse model of disease. IFN-λ significantly limited SARS-CoV-2 production in primary human bronchial epithelial cells in culture. Pretreatment of human lung cells with IFN-λ completely blocked infectious virus production, and treatment with IFN-λ at the time of infection inhibited virus production more than 10-fold. To interrogate the protective effects of IFN-λ in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, transgenic mice expressing the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) were tested. One dose of IFN-λ administered intranasally was found to reduce animal morbidity and mortality. Our study with SARS-CoV-2 also revealed a sex differential in disease outcome. Male mice had higher mortality, reflecting the more severe symptoms and mortality found in male patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The results indicate that IFN-λ potentially can treat early stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection and decrease pathology, and this murine model can be used to investigate the sex differential documented in COVID-19. IMPORTANCE The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed millions of lives worldwide. In this report, we used a preclinical mouse model to investigate the prophylactic and therapeutic value of intranasal IFN-λ for this acute respiratory disease. Specific vaccines have been responsible for curbing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in developed nations. However, vaccines require time to generate and keep pace with antigenic variants. There is a need for broad-spectrum prophylactic and therapeutic agents to combat new emerging viral pathogens. Our mouse model suggests IFN-λ has clinical utility, and it reflects the well-documented finding that male COVID-19 patients manifest more severe symptoms and mortality. Understanding this sex bias is critical for considering therapeutic approaches to COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral; interferon; lung infection; murine model.
. 2021 Nov 2;e0275621.
doi: 10.1128/mBio.02756-21. Online ahead of print.
Interferon-Lambda Intranasal Protection and Differential Sex Pathology in a Murine Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Sook-Young Sohn[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janet Hearing[SUP] 1 [/SUP], JoAnn Mugavero[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Varvara Kirillov[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elena Gorbunova[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luke Helminiak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Smruti Mishra[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Erich Mackow[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Patrick Hearing[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nancy C Reich[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hwan Keun Kim[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34724828
- DOI: 10.1128/mBio.02756-21
Abstract
Outbreaks of emerging viral pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are a major medical challenge. There is a pressing need for antivirals that can be rapidly deployed to curb infection and dissemination. We determined the efficacy of interferon lambda-1 (IFN-λ) as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection and reduce pathology in a mouse model of disease. IFN-λ significantly limited SARS-CoV-2 production in primary human bronchial epithelial cells in culture. Pretreatment of human lung cells with IFN-λ completely blocked infectious virus production, and treatment with IFN-λ at the time of infection inhibited virus production more than 10-fold. To interrogate the protective effects of IFN-λ in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, transgenic mice expressing the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) were tested. One dose of IFN-λ administered intranasally was found to reduce animal morbidity and mortality. Our study with SARS-CoV-2 also revealed a sex differential in disease outcome. Male mice had higher mortality, reflecting the more severe symptoms and mortality found in male patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The results indicate that IFN-λ potentially can treat early stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection and decrease pathology, and this murine model can be used to investigate the sex differential documented in COVID-19. IMPORTANCE The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed millions of lives worldwide. In this report, we used a preclinical mouse model to investigate the prophylactic and therapeutic value of intranasal IFN-λ for this acute respiratory disease. Specific vaccines have been responsible for curbing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in developed nations. However, vaccines require time to generate and keep pace with antigenic variants. There is a need for broad-spectrum prophylactic and therapeutic agents to combat new emerging viral pathogens. Our mouse model suggests IFN-λ has clinical utility, and it reflects the well-documented finding that male COVID-19 patients manifest more severe symptoms and mortality. Understanding this sex bias is critical for considering therapeutic approaches to COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral; interferon; lung infection; murine model.