ArticleEmerging microbes & infections2020
Targeting the endolysosomal host-SARS-CoV-2 interface by clinically licensed functional inhibitors of acid sphingomyelinase (FIASMA) including the antidepressant fluoxetine.
Article in Emerging microbes & infections, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 153 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychotropic drug repurposing for COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Antidepressants for COVID-19: A systematic review.Journal of affective disorders · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of antidepressants on the severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of adding fluoxetine to the treatment regimen of hospitalized patients with non-critical COVID-19 pneumonia: A double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2023Trial
- Uptake of Nanoparticles as a Model System for Viruses under the Presence of Chloroquine.ACS nanoscience Au · 2026Article
- Lipidomics reveals the pro-viral roles of ceramides during fish nodavirus infection.Journal of virology · 2026Article
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- Dynamic regulatory mechanism of cholesterol 25-hydroxylase-mediated antiviral response in RNA virus infections.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- IFITM3 at the viral fusion-pore checkpoint: membrane energetics and entry-route-dependent outcomes.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 entry: implications for biomedical strategies.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2025Review
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- Amitriptyline potently neutralizes distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants including D614G, Omicron BA.5, and Omicron XBB.1.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Cholesterol and Cholesterol-Lowering Medications in COVID-19-An Unresolved Matter.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- N-Substituted Pyrrole-Based Heterocycles as Broad-Spectrum Filoviral Entry Inhibitors.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2024Article
- Cholesterol and COVID-19-therapeutic opportunities at the host/virus interface during cell entry.Life science alliance · 2024Review
- Fluoxetine and Sertraline Potently Neutralize the Replication of Distinct SARS-CoV-2 Variants.Viruses · 2024Article
- Molecular docking as a tool for the discovery of novel insight about the role of acid sphingomyelinase inhibitors in SARS- CoV-2 infectivity.BMC public health · 2024Review
- Study on the clinical efficacy and safety of baloxavir marboxil tablets in the treatment of influenza A.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health emergency. As only very limited therapeutic options are clinically available, there is an urgent need for the rapid development of safe, effective, and globally available pharmaceuticals that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry and ameliorate COVID-19 severity. In this study, we explored the use of small compounds acting on the homeostasis of the endolysosomal host-pathogen interface, to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection. We find that fluoxetine, a widely used antidepressant and a functional inhibitor of acid sphingomyelinase (FIASMA), efficiently inhibited the entry and propagation of SARS-CoV-2 in the cell culture model without cytotoxic effects and also exerted potent antiviral activity against two currently circulating influenza A virus subtypes, an effect which was also observed upon treatment with the FIASMAs amiodarone and imipramine. Mechanistically, fluoxetine induced both impaired endolysosomal acidification and the accumulation of cholesterol within the endosomes. As the FIASMA group consists of a large number of small compounds that are well-tolerated and widely used for a broad range of clinical applications, exploring these licensed pharmaceuticals may offer a variety of promising antivirals for host-directed therapy to counteract enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.