Therapeutic Efficacy of Indole-3-Carbinol Against SARS-CoV-2-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Dual Antiviral and Anti-Inflammatory Approach in a Golden Syrian Hamster Model.
SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic, resulting in over two million deaths and creating an urgent need for effective treatments. Severe COVID-19 is frequently complicated by respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the primary drivers of mortality. Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C), a natural compound derived from Brassicaceae that acts as an inhibitor of HECT family E3 ubiquitin ligases, exhibits potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and inhibits viral egress. However, its in vivo therapeutic efficacy against SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury remains unproven. We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of I3C in reducing the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated lung lesions using the Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) model, which recapitulates the acute lung injury observed in human COVID-19. Treatment with a non-toxic dose of I3C (2 mg) significantly ameliorated disease across all parameters, reducing weight loss, improving clinical symptom scores and reducing histopathological lung damage observed post-mortem. A significant reduction in pulmonary TNF-α levels accompanied this. These findings indicate that I3C mitigates COVID-19-related morbidity at clinically relevant, non-toxic doses. Given its dual antiviral and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, I3C represents a compelling therapeutic candidate for further clinical investigation.
Authors
Federica Federica, Barbara Barbara, Andrea Andrea, Michela Michela, Marco Marco, Francesca Francesca, Manuel Manuel, Alessandro Alessandro, Palyi Palyi, Deri Deri, Novak Novak, Kis Kis, Filippone Filippone, Pandolfi Pandolfi, Giuseppe Giuseppe
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