ReviewPharmacological reports : PR2021
Role of pirfenidone in TGF-β pathways and other inflammatory pathways in acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection: a theoretical perspective.
Review in Pharmacological reports : PR, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pirfenidone in post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis (FIBRO-COVID): a phase 2 randomised clinical trial.The European respiratory journal · 2025Trial
- TGF-β2 signaling promotes cardiac fibrosis in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy mediated by DSC2 deficiency.Acta pharmacologica Sinica · 2026Article
- Evaluation and Comparison of Treatment with Polymerised Collagen or Pirfenidone as Stand-Alone Therapy on the Production of Profibrotic Factors in Tracheal Stenosis and Tracheal Anastomosis Scarring After Resection.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Antifibrotic Drugs Regulate the Expression of Epithelial Sodium Channels in the Lungs.Advances in respiratory medicine · 2026Article
- Blood diagnostic biomarkers for neurologic manifestations of long COVID.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Unveiling the secret of cellular metamorphosis: the crucial role of EndMT mechanisms in COVID-19-induced pulmonary fibrosis.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Review
- Health position paper and redox perspectives - Bench to bedside transition for pharmacological regulation of NRF2 in noncommunicable diseases.Redox biology · 2025Review
- Targeting senescent cells in aging and COVID-19: from cellular mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities.Cell regeneration (London, England) · 2024Review
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Alters Mediators of Lung Tissue Remodeling In Vitro and In Vivo.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Modeling mechanical activation of macrophages during pulmonary fibrogenesis for targeted anti-fibrosis therapy.Science advances · 2024Article
- Evaluating NSAIDs in SARS-CoV-2: Immunomodulatory mechanisms and future therapeutic strategies.Heliyon · 2024Review
- Signaling pathways and potential therapeutic targets in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Respiratory research · 2024Review
- TGF-β, IL-1β, IL-6 levels and TGF-β/Smad pathway reactivity regulate the link between allergic diseases, cancer risk, and metabolic dysregulations.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- An agent-based modeling approach for lung fibrosis in response to COVID-19.PLoS computational biology · 2023Article
- Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) in COVID-19 patients: relation to platelets and association with the disease outcome.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2023Article
- SARS-CoV-2 infection and dysregulation of nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway.Cell stress & chaperones · 2023Review
- Cytokine Response Following SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Stimulation in Patients with Predominantly Antibody Deficiencies.Viruses · 2023Article
- Treatment with quercetin inhibits SARS-CoV-2 N protein-induced acute kidney injury by blocking Smad3-dependent G1 cell-cycle arrest.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2023Article
- Upregulation of PD-L1 by SARS-CoV-2 promotes immune evasion.Journal of medical virology · 2023Article
- Role of epithelial sodium channel-related inflammation in human diseases.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes pulmonary injury or multiple-organ injury by various pathological pathways. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a key factor that is released during SARS-CoV-2 infection. TGF-β, by internalization of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), suppresses the anti-oxidant system, downregulates the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), and activates the plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and nuclear factor-kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB). These changes cause inflammation and lung injury along with coagulopathy. Moreover, reactive oxygen species play a significant role in lung injury, which levels up during SARS-CoV-2 infection. DRUG SUGGESTION: Pirfenidone is an anti-fibrotic drug with an anti-oxidant activity that can prevent lung injury during SARS-CoV-2 infection by blocking the maturation process of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and enhancing the protective role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). Pirfenidone is a safe drug for patients with hypertension or diabetes and its side effect tolerated well.
conclusionThe drug as a theoretical perspective may be an effective and safe choice for suppressing the inflammatory response during COVID-19. The recommendation would be a combination of pirfenidone and N-acetylcysteine to achieve maximum benefit during SARS-CoV-2 treatment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.