Chlorine dioxide for COVID-19

To date, there is no effective prophylactic agent to prevent COVID-19. However, the development of symptoms similar to covid19 could be prevented with an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide (ClO2). This retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness of an aqueous solution of ClO2 (CDS) as a prophylactic agent in 1,163 family members living with positive/suspected COVID19 patients. Prophylactic treatment consisted of 0.0003% chlorine dioxide solution (CDS) orally for at least fourteen days. Family members in whom no reports of the development of covid19-like symptoms were found in the medical history were considered successful cases. The efficacy of CDS in preventing covid19-like symptoms was 90.4% (1,051 of 1,163 relatives did not report any symptoms). The comorbidities, sex and severity of the illness of the sick patient did not contribute to the development of symptoms similar to covid19 (P = 0.092, P = 0.351 and P = 0.574, respectively). However, older relatives were more likely to develop covid19-like symptoms (ORa = 4.22, P = 0.002). There was no evidence of alterations in blood parameters or in the QTc interval in relatives who consumed CDS. The recent findings regarding Chlorine Dioxide justify designing clinical trials to assess its efficacy for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection.

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID-19 has become a global crisis, and brought severe disruptions to societies and economies. Until now, effective therapeutics against COVID-19 are in high demand. Along with our improved understanding of the structure, function, and pathogenic process of SARS-CoV-2, many small molecules with potential anti-COVID-19 effects have been developed. So far, several antiviral strategies were explored. Besides directly inhibition of viral proteins such as RdRp and Mpro, interference of host enzymes including ACE2 and proteases, and blocking relevant immunoregulatory pathways represented by JAK/STAT, BTK, NF-κB, and NLRP3 pathways, are regarded feasible in drug development. The development of small molecules to treat COVID-19 has been achieved by several strategies, including computer-aided lead compound design and screening, natural product discovery, drug repurposing, and combination therapy. Several small molecules representative by remdesivir and paxlovid have been proved or authorized emergency use in many countries. And many candidates have entered clinical-trial stage. Nevertheless, due to the epidemiological features and variability issues of SARS-CoV-2, it is necessary to continue exploring novel strategies against COVID-19. This review discusses the current findings in the development of small molecules for COVID-19 treatment. Moreover, their detailed mechanism of action, chemical structures, and preclinical and clinical efficacies are discussed.