Potential of methylene blue as a multifunctional drug treatment against COVID-19
Keywords:
COVID-19; methylene blue; multifunctional therapy.Abstract
Infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 became pandemic and caused millions of deaths and incalculable economic losses worldwide. In this context, therapies were introduced to contain the infection until the population could be vaccinated. Therapeutic proposals emerged from already established drugs whose mechanisms of action could interfere with the virus infection cycle or with some of the host-dependent pathophysiological mechanisms. Monoligand drugs acted on a single drug target to treat a complex and multifactorial disease like COVID-19, which was the main cause of failure with non-vaccine interventions. In this brief communication, a review of the pharmacological mechanisms of methylene blue in the therapy of COVID-19 was performed. The multiplicity of documented mechanisms related to the blockade of viral pathogenesis, its low cost, low toxicological profile, privileged pharmacokinetics and national capacity to produce it made this drug a therapeutic option in the treatment protocols of severe and critical patients.
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