Systems medicine framework for repurposable drug combinations for COVID-19 comorbidities

Abstract

Currently, vaccines have shown efficacy against new SARS-CoV-2 variants. This study aimed to develop a systems medicine framework that can predict and validate drug combinations that can be repurposed for treating COVID-19 and its comorbidities, specifically type 2 diabetes and hypertension. This study found that gut microbes could potentially influence the action of drugs, innate immune response, intestinal dysfunction, and susceptibility to the virus in individuals with these comorbidities. It was also discovered that the spike protein of the virus interacts with 57 human genes, many of which are linked to food-borne bacteria. An analysis of disease enrichment showed that arthritis and hypertension were frequently observed as comorbidities in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Several drugs, including Fluvoxamine, Donepezil, and Ifenprodil, have been identified as potentially repurposable drugs for treating COVID-19 in individuals with hypertension. Moreover, nitazoxanide and tocilizumab (antivirals), bacitracin (antibacterial), and gliclazide (antidiabetics) were also identified as potential repurposable drugs. Tocilizumab and gliclazide are effective drug combinations for treating COVID-19 in individuals with type 2 diabetes. A combination of tocilizumab and lidocaine has also been suggested for treating COVID-19 in individuals infected with food-borne bacteria.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• Comorbidity
• Drug repurposing
• Gut microbes
• Network modeling
• Systems medicine