Alysson Muotri holds a tray of stem cell-derived human brain organoids. Credit: Erik Jepsen, UC San Diego
Key Points:
- A new study shows how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects cortical neurons and destroys their synapses.
- An already approved treatment for hepatitis C inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication and reversed neuronal alterations in infected brain organoids.
- The results are a step forward for those dealing with long-COVID.
With evidence accumulating that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect and alter brain cells, researchers have used human brain organoids to show how the virus infects cortical neurons and specifically destroys their synapses.
In the same study, published in PLoS Biology, the team also showed that the antiviral drug sofosbuvir—already an approved treatment for hepatitis C—effectively inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication and reversed neuronal alterations in infected brain organoids.
Researchers exposed the brain organoids they grew to SARS-CoV-2, observed viral infection and replication and noted that the virus rapidly decreased the number of excitatory synapses in neurons within 7 days post-infection.
However, when infected organoids were treated with sofosbuvir, viral replication was inhibited, and observed neurological impairments rescued or restored. The findings echo earlier computational models that suggested sofosbuvir could be a treatment and previous research by the team found sofosbuvir effectively protected and rescued neural cells infected by the Zika virus.
“The bottom line is that sofosbuvir appears to have the potential to arrest or prevent the development of neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients,” said senior study author Alysson Muotri, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “And because it has been shown to present no safety concerns in pregnant women, it might also be an option for preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission to their unborn children.
The researchers say further studies and clinical trials are needed, but these findings offer a path forward for treating long-COVID.
Information provided by UCSD.