Identification of key genes modules linking brain aging signatures and COVID-19-associated cognitive impairment
et al., Virus Research, doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2026.199707, Feb 2026
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In silico study suggesting that seven compounds (fulvestrant, bucladesine, S-adenosylmethionine, valproic acid, folic acid, kaempferol, and quercetin) may be beneficial for COVID-19-associated cognitive impairment through targeting key aging-related genes.
Xie et al., 26 Feb 2026, China, peer-reviewed, 6 authors.
Contact: xiecuiying25@126.com, yfzh71@126.com, wb111222@sina.com, wuxueling76@126.com.
In silico studies are an important part of preclinical research, however results may be very different in vivo.
Identification of key genes modules linking brain aging signatures and COVID-19-associated cognitive impairment
doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2026.199707Reference:VIRUS199707
Recent studies have shown that there is a decline in cognitive and memory abilities following SARS-CoV-2 infection. • we identified up-regulated DEGs is almost in lung fibrosis and immune-related pathways, yet down-regulated DEGs is in neuron and synapse pathways. • We then identified five key genes associated with aging in COVID-19, including SST, S100A9, SOSC3, FKBP5 and HBB. • Finally, we identified seven drugs associated with key genes: Fulvestrant, Bucladesine, S-Adenosylmethionine, Valproic Acid, Folic Acid, kaempferol and Quercetin.
Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical review and approval were not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.
Consent for publication All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Competing interests The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Caption for Table S1 to S4 Table S1 . Differential gene expression between the COVID-19 and normal samples. Table S2 . Enrichment analysis of all differential gene expression. Table S3 . Signaling pathways of up genes of the DEGs between the COVID-19 and normal samples. Table S4 . Signaling pathways of down genes of the DEGs between the COVID-19 and normal samples.
Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical review and approval were not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.
Consent for publication All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the..
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