Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34943719›Full record

ArticleAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)2021

A Closer Look at Dexamethasone and the SARS-CoV-2-Induced Cytokine Storm: In Silico Insights of the First Life-Saving COVID-19 Drug.

Paul Morgan, Shareen J Arnold, Nai-Wan Hsiao, Chih-Wen Shu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Inhibition of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 (MComputational and structural biotechnology journal · 2022
    Review
  8. PreclinicalFrontiers in endocrinology · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Paul MorganFaculty of Science and Technology, University of Belize, Belmopan 501, Belize.ORCID 0000-0002-3231-0738
Shareen J ArnoldFaculty of Science and Technology, University of Belize, Belmopan 501, Belize.ORCID 0000-0001-8718-8613
Nai-Wan HsiaoDepartment of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50007, Taiwan.
Chih-Wen ShuInstitute of BioPharmaceutical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-7774-0002

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The term cytokine storm refers to an uncontrolled overproduction of soluble inflammatory markers known as cytokines and chemokines. Autoimmune destruction of the lungs triggered by the release of these inflammatory markers often induces acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is an emergency condition with a high mortality rate in COVID-19 patients. Dexamethasone is the first repurposed corticosteroid with life-saving efficacy in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Dexamethasone has traditionally been known to suppress the production of inflammatory markers at the transcriptional level, but its role as a direct therapeutic to neutralize cytokines, chemokines, their receptors, and functionally critical SARS-CoV-2 proteins has not yet been explored. Herein, we demonstrated that dexamethasone binds with high affinity to interlukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-21, INF2, TGFβ-1, INF-γ, CXCL8, some of the receptors, IL-1R, IL-21R, IFNGR, INFAR, IL-6αR-gp130, ST2 and the SARS-CoV-2 protein NSP macro X, and 3CLpro, forming stable drug-protein complexes. Our work implied that dexamethasone has the potential to directly neutralize inflammatory markers, further supporting its life-saving potential in patients with severe manifestations of COVID-19.

Indexed as

acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)cytokine stormdexamethasoneinflammatory markersmolecular dynamic (MD)receptorsSARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

Identifiers

PMID34943719
PMCPMC8698520

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.