Research progress on Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AD-MSCs), Drugs, and Vaccines in Inhibiting COVID-19 Disease

Gentile Pietro, Sterodimas Aris, Pizzicannella Jacopo, Calabrese Claudio, Garcovich Simone

Table 1 Research progress of COVID-19 therapy based on drugs, vaccines and Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Drugs Type Effects Timing Biomolecular pathway/indications Studies References Advantages Disadvantages Chloroquine and Hydroxy-chloroquine Antimalaric < 5 days Early tretament of severe COVID-19 patients In Vivo/ Clinical Study [14, 15] Early clinical efficacy in severe COVID-19 patients Not specific drug against SARS-COV-2 Not autologous drug Remdesivir Antiviral drug of nucleoside analogs - Inhibition of natural nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) to prevent virus RNA synthesis and virus replication In vitro/ Animal models/ Phase II and Phase III clinical trials ongoing [7, 16] Antiviral targeted against SARS-COV-2 Ongoing Clinical trials Not autologous drug Antiviral not specific against SARS-COV-2 Not autologous drug Nucleic acid Vaccines Vaccines - - In Vivo/ Clinical study NCT04283461 Prevention Not yet final clinical trails results Inactivated vaccine Vaccines - - Animal Models - Prevention No yet cllinical trials Recombinant protein vaccine Vaccines - - Ready for Clinical trial - Prevention Not yet final clinical trials results Recombinant virus vector vaccine Vaccines - - Adenovirus vector vaccine clinical trials Two Lentivirus vector vaccine Clinical trials NCT04313127 NCT04299724, NCT04276896 Prevention Prevention Prevention Ongoing clinical trials Ongoing clinical trials Ongoing clinical trials MSCs Antiviral mean 4.5 days Secreting antibacterial peptides and proteins (AMPs), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), IL-17/ Activating a large number of anti-virus genes, such as IFITM gene, which can encode protein structures that prevent viruses from invading cells/ regulating the dynamic coordination of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory elements of the patient’s immune system and promoting the activity of phagocytes In Vivo/ Clinical/ In Vitro/ [19-22] Early clinical efficacy in severe COVID-19 patients Autologous drug Autologous source of donor tissue Allogeneic use No svere immune reaction Ongoing clinical trial Not specific drug against SARS-COV-2 AD-MSCs Antiviral/ Delivery drugs - Anti-inflammatory (IL-10), immune-modulatory (TGFß-1), (HGF), (INF-γ), and pro-angiogenic activities (VEGF), (PDGF)/ Transition from inflammatory macrophage phenotype M1 to the anti-inflammatory and wound healing M2 phenotype/ Inhibition of ECM degradation through the increased binding of MMPs and secretion of TIMPs/ Delivery drug In Vitro/ In Vivo Clinical trial ongoing [2, 26, 27] Early clinical efficacy in severe COVID-19 patients Autologous drug Autologous source of donor tissue Allogeneic use Potential delivery drugs No svere immune reaction Potential aereosol administration Ongoing clinical trial Not specific drug against SARS-COV-2