Generic placeholder image

Current Drug Discovery Technologies

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1570-1638
ISSN (Online): 1875-6220

Clinical Trial

The Open, Randomized, Positive Control Clinical Trial of Guluronic Acid (G2013) on SARS-CoV-2 Patients

Author(s): Zahra Aghazadeh, Davod Sanaee Delir, Hamid Reza Gholamrezaie, Arezoo Sadoughi, Amir Nezami Asl, Mehran Noori Sanami, Armita Mahdavi Gorabi, Younes Panahi, Mahsa Taeb, Alireza Razavi, Sara Rafia, Zahra Naderiyan, Behrouz Robat-Jazi and Abbas Mirshafiey*

Volume 20, Issue 4, 2023

Published on: 11 May, 2023

Article ID: e180423215957 Pages: 8

DOI: 10.2174/1570163820666230418095115

Price: $65

Abstract

Introduction: Recently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, with a vast spectrum of clinical and paraclinical symptoms has been a major health concern worldwide. Therapeutical management of COVID-19 includes antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs. NSAIDs, as the second-line therapy, are often prescribed to relieve the symptoms of COVID-19. The α-L-guluronic acid (G2013) is a non-steroidal patented (PCT/EP2017/067920) agent with immunomodulatory properties. This study investigated the effect of G2013 on the outcome of COVID-19 in moderate to severe patients.

Methods: The disease’s symptoms were followed up during hospitalization and for 4 weeks postdischarge in G2013 and control groups. Paraclinical indices were tested at the time of admission and discharge. Statistical analysis was performed on clinical and paraclinical parameters and ICU admission and death rate.

Results: The primary and secondary outcomes indicated the efficiency of G2013 on COVID-19 patients’ management. There were significant differences in the duration of improvement of fever, coughing, fatigue/malaise. Also, a comparison of paraclinical indices at the time of admission and discharge showed significant change in prothrombin, D-dimer, and platelet. As the main findings of this study, G2013 significantly decreased the percentage of ICU admission (control:17 patients, G2013:1 patient) and death (control: 7 cases, G2013:0).

Conclusion: These results conclude that G2013 has sufficient potential to be considered for moderate to severe COVID-19 patients, can significantly reduce the clinical and physical complications of this disease, has a positive effect on modulating the coagulopathy process, and aids in saving lives.

Graphical Abstract

[1]
Li Q, Guan X, Wu P, et al. Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of novel coronavirus–infected pneumonia. N Engl J Med 2020; 382(13): 1199-207.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2001316] [PMID: 31995857]
[2]
Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19. World Health Organization 2022.
[3]
Wang Y, Zhou F, Zhang D, et al. Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of intravenous remdesivir in adult patients with severe COVID-19: Study protocol for a phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. Trials 2020; 21(1): 422.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04352-9] [PMID: 32448345]
[4]
Cascella M, Rajnik M, Aleem A, Dulebohn SC, Di Napoli R. Features, Evaluation, and Treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing 2022.
[5]
Zheng Z, Peng F, Xu B, et al. Risk factors of critical & mortal COVID-19 cases: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. J Infect 2020; 81(2): e16-25.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2020.04.021] [PMID: 32335169]
[6]
Li J, Huang DQ, Zou B, et al. Epidemiology of COVID‐19: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of clinical characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes. J Med Virol 2021; 93(3): 1449-58.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmv.26424] [PMID: 32790106]
[7]
Fang X, Li S, Yu H, et al. Epidemiological, comorbidity factors with severity and prognosis of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging 2020; 12(13): 12493-503.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.18632/aging.103579] [PMID: 32658868]
[8]
García LF Immune response, inflammation, and the clinical spectrum of COVID-19. Front Immunol 2020; 11: 1441.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01441] [PMID: 32612615]
[9]
Zhang D, Guo R, Lei L, et al. COVID-19 infection induces readily detectable morphological and inflammation-related phenotypic changes in peripheral blood monocytes, the severity of which correlate with patient outcome. MedRxiv 2020; 2020; 20042655.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.24.20042655]
[10]
Asadi M, Sayar S, Radmanesh E, et al. Efficacy of naproxen in the management of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Diabetes Metab Syndr 2021; 15(6): 102319.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102319] [PMID: 34700294]
[11]
Bindu S, Mazumder S, Bandyopadhyay U. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and organ damage: A current perspective. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 180: 114147.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114147] [PMID: 32653589]
[12]
Robb CT, Goepp M, Rossi AG, Yao C. Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, prostaglandins, and COVID‐19. Br J Pharmacol 2020; 177(21): 4899-920.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.15206] [PMID: 32700336]
[13]
Bhala N, Emberson J, Merhi A, et al. Vascular and upper gastrointestinal effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Meta-analyses of individual participant data from randomised trials. Lancet 2013; 382(9894): 769-79.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60900-9] [PMID: 23726390]
[14]
Sharifi L, Mohsenzadegan M, Aghamohammadi A, et al. Immunomodulatory effect of G2013 (α-L-guluronic acid) on the TLR2 and TLR4 in human mononuclear cells. Curr Drug Discov Technol 2018; 15(2): 123-31.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570163814666170605111331] [PMID: 28578651]
[15]
Farhang H, Sharifi L, Dallal MMS, et al. The immunomodulatory role of G2013 (α-L-guluronic acid) on the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in HT29 cell line. Curr Drug Discov Technol 2019; 16(1): 91-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570163815666180226093711] [PMID: 29484999]
[16]
Mortazavi Jahromi SS, Jamshidi MM, Yousefi M, et al. Inhibitory effect of G2013 molecule as a novel immunomodulatory agent, on miR-155 gene expression in HEK-Blue hTLR4 cell line. Eur J Inflamm 2016; 14(2): 86-92.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1721727X16660093]
[17]
Hajivalili M, Pourgholi F, Majidi J, et al. G2013 modulates TLR4 signaling pathway in IRAK-1 and TARF-6 dependent and miR-146a independent manner. Cell Mol Biol 2016; 62(4): 1-5.
[PMID: 27188726]
[18]
Nazeri S, Khadem Azarian S, Fattahi MJ, et al. Preclinical and pharmacotoxicology evaluation of α-L-guluronic acid (G2013) as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with immunomodulatory property. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2017; 39(2): 59-65.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923973.2017.1282512] [PMID: 28145788]
[19]
Arjomand Fard N, Tabrizian N, Mirzaei R, et al. Efficacy and safety of G2013 as a novel immunosuppressive agent on differentiation, maturation and function of human dendritic cells. Iran J Public Health 2017; 46(2): 216-21.
[PMID: 28451557]
[20]
Mahdian-Shakib A, Hashemzadeh MS, Anissian A, Oraei M, Mirshafiey A. Evaluation of the acute and 28-day sub-acute intravenous toxicity of α-L-guluronic acid (ALG; G2013) in mice. Drug Chem Toxicol 2022; 45(1): 151-60.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01480545.2019.1665679] [PMID: 31533489]
[21]
Sadoughi A, Mansouri R, Nazeri S, Mirshafiey A. Evaluation of the oral administration of α‐L‐guluronic acid on COX‐1 and COX ‐2 gene expression profile in ankylosing spondylitis patients. Drug Dev Res 2021; 82(2): 296-301.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ddr.21756] [PMID: 33140463]
[22]
Nazeri S, Jamshidi AR, Mahmoudi M, et al. The safety and efficacy of Guluronic acid (G2013) in ankylosing spondylitis: A randomized controlled parallel clinical trial. Pharmacol Rep 2019; 71(3): 393-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pharep.2019.02.002] [PMID: 31003148]
[23]
Khadem Azarian S, Akhlaghi M, Mahmoudi M, et al. A randomized clinical trial for the assessment of the efficacy and safety of Guluronic acid (G2013) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2019; 41(1): 95-101.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923973.2018.1555844] [PMID: 30621471]
[24]
Khadem Azarian S, Jafarnezhad-Ansariha F, Nazeri S, et al. Effects of Guluronic acid, as a new NSAID with immunomodulatory properties on IL-17, RORγt, IL-4 and GATA-3 gene expression in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2020; 42(1): 22-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923973.2019.1702053] [PMID: 31856612]
[25]
Mahesh DU, Meena R, Prasad K, Siddhanta A. Microwave assisted rapid method for hydrolysis of sodium alginate for M/G ratio determination. Carbohydr Polym 2009; 76: 650-6.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2008.11.033]
[26]
Mirshafiey A, Mortazavi-Jahromi SS, Taeb M, Cuzzocrea S, Esposito E. Evaluation of the effect of α-l-guluronic acid (G2013) on COX-1, COX-2 activity and gene expression for introducing this drug as a novel NSAID with immunomodulatory property. Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov 2018; 12(2): 162-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1872213X12666180607121809] [PMID: 29879894]
[27]
Ma A, Zhang L, Ye X, et al. High levels of circulating IL-8 and soluble IL-2R are associated with prolonged illness in patients with severe COVID-19. Front Immunol 2021; 12: 626235.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.626235] [PMID: 33584733]
[28]
Li L, Li J, Gao M, et al. Interleukin-8 as a biomarker for disease prognosis of coronavirus disease-2019 patients. Front Immunol 2021; 11: 602395.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.602395] [PMID: 33488599]
[29]
Cesta MC, Zippoli M, Marsiglia C, et al. The role of interleukin-8 in lung inflammation and injury: Implications for the management of COVID-19 and hyperinflammatory acute respiratory distress syndrome. Front Pharmacol 2022; 12: 808797.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.808797] [PMID: 35095519]
[30]
Li H, Zhang J, Fang C, et al. The prognostic value of IL-8 for the death of severe or critical patients with COVID-19. Medicine 2021; 100(11): e23656.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000023656] [PMID: 33725924]
[31]
Cheng L, Zhu Z, Wang C, Wang P, He YO, Zhang X. COVID-19 induces lower levels of IL-8, IL-10, and MCP-1 than other acute CRS-inducing diseases. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2021; 118(21): e2102960118.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2102960118] [PMID: 33972411]
[32]
Del Valle DM, Kim-Schulze S, Huang HH, et al. An inflammatory cytokine signature predicts COVID-19 severity and survival. Nat Med 2020; 26(10): 1636-43.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-1051-9] [PMID: 32839624]
[33]
Murray CJL. COVID-19 will continue but the end of the pandemic is near. Lancet 2022; 399(10323): 417-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00100-3] [PMID: 35065006]
[34]
Bagherian Z, Mirshafiey A, Mohsenzadegan M, Farajollahi MM. Evaluation of G2013 (α‐L‐guluronic acid) efficacy on PC‐3 cells through inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2022; 49(2): 254-63.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1440-1681.13605] [PMID: 34699087]
[35]
Hosseini F, Mahdian-Shakib A, Jadidi-Niaragh F, et al. Anti‐inflammatory and anti‐tumor effects of α-l-guluronic acid (G2013) on cancer-related inflammation in a murine breast cancer model. Biomed Pharmacother 2018; 98: 793-800.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2017.12.111] [PMID: 29571248]
[36]
Noorbakhsh SM, Razavi A, Moghadam NB, et al. Effects of Guluronic acid (G2013) on gene expression of TLR2, TLR4, MyD88, TNF-α and CD52 in multiple sclerosis under in vitro conditions. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2019; 41(6): 586-90.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923973.2019.1672179] [PMID: 31594427]
[37]
Tahmasebi S, Azizi G, Miladi H, et al. The effects of G2013 (α-L-guluronic acid) in a pentylenetetrazole-induced kindling animal model of epilepsy. Innov Clin Neurosci 2020; 17(4-6): 9-12.
[PMID: 32802585]
[38]
Tahmasebi S, Neishaboori H, Jafari D, Faghihzadeh E, Esmaeilzadeh A, Mirshafiey A. The effects of Guluronic acid (G2013), a new emerging treatment, on inflammatory factors in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients under in vitro conditions. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2021; 43(5): 562-70.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923973.2021.1954946] [PMID: 34314306]
[39]
Sharifi L, Aghamohammadi A, Aletaha S, et al. Antagonistic property of G2013 (α-L-guluronic acid) on gene expression of MyD88, Tollip, and NF-κB in HEK293 TLR2 and HEK293 TLR4. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2019; 19(2): 144-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871530319666181126153752] [PMID: 30784390]
[40]
Mortazavi-Jahromi SS, Farazmand A, Motamed N, Navabi SS, Mirshafiey A. Effects of Guluronic acid (G2013) on SHIP1, SOCS1 induction and related molecules in TLR4 signaling pathway. Int Immunopharmacol 2018; 55: 323-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2018.01.003] [PMID: 29310108]
[41]
Zheng M, Karki R, Williams EP, et al. TLR2 senses the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein to produce inflammatory cytokines. Nat Immunol 2021; 22(7): 829-38.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41590-021-00937-x] [PMID: 33963333]
[42]
Khan S, Shafiei MS, Longoria C, Schoggins JW, Savani RC, Zaki H. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces inflammation via TLR2-dependent activation of the NF-κB pathway. eLife 2021; 10.
[43]
Afraei S, Azizi G, Zargar SJ, Sedaghat R, Mirshafiey A. New therapeutic approach by G2013 in experimental model of multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Belg 2015; 115(3): 259-66.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13760-014-0392-x] [PMID: 25388635]
[44]
Mirshafiey A, Hosseini S, Afraei S, Rastkari N, Zavareh FT, Azizi G. Anti-aging property of G2013 molecule as a novel immunosuppressive agent on enzymatic and non-enzymatic oxidative stress determinants in Rat model. Curr Drug Discov Technol 2016; 13(1): 25-33.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570163813666160224123851] [PMID: 26906909]
[45]
Taeb M, Mortazavi-Jahromi SS, Jafarzadeh A, Mirzaei MR, Mirshafiey A. An in vitro evaluation of anti-aging effect of Guluronic acid (G2013) based on enzymatic oxidative stress gene expression using healthy individuals PBMCs. Biomed Pharmacother 2017; 90: 262-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2017.03.066] [PMID: 28364598]
[46]
Xiong M, Liang X, Wei YD. Changes in blood coagulation in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19): A meta‐analysis. Br J Haematol 2020; 189(6): 1050-2.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjh.16725] [PMID: 32304581]
[47]
Almigdad HMA, Sagad Omer Obeid M, Ibrahim HEE, Mohamed Elata Hassan E, Abazr AHI, Almutasim BEE. The association of lymphocyte count, CRP, D-Dimer, and LDH with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A meta-analysis. Sud J Med Sc 2020; 15(5): 1-15.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.20.20072801]

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy