Laboratory Experiment Results
A recent scientific study showed that some drugs used to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases can affect the defense mechanisms cells use to resist viruses, according to laboratory experiments conducted by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
The website "Science Daily" reported on Tuesday, citing the university, that the study was published in the journal "NAR Molecular Medicine," led by Denis Kainov, a professor in the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine at the university, and with the participation of an international research team, including Erlend Røsvik, the study's first author.
Mechanism of Drug Action
The study examined the effect of "JAK" enzyme inhibitors, which are drugs used to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, and work to reduce inflammation by affecting the signals cells transmit to regulate the immune response.
Laboratory experiments showed that these drugs, including "baricitinib," can disrupt certain immune pathways associated with interferon, proteins that help cells activate their defenses against viruses, potentially limiting their ability to resist infection and curb its spread.
Scope of Testing and Results
Researchers tested the effect of the drugs against a group of viruses, including influenza "A" virus and the virus causing COVID-19, along with other viruses, using cellular models representing different tissues, including the lung, eye, and brain.
Researchers noted that the results highlight the interference between the effect of anti-inflammatory drugs and immune functions, as reducing the inflammatory response may also affect some mechanisms cells rely on to resist viruses.
Important Recommendations
The study emphasized the need for further research to determine the extent to which the laboratory results apply to patients, noting that the experiments alone do not prove that using these drugs increases the risk of viral infection in patients.
The results underscore the importance of studying the immune effects of these drugs alongside their therapeutic benefits, while stressing the need to adhere to doctors' instructions and not stop treatment or change the dosage without consultation.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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