La fluoxetina inhibe la replicación del síndrome respiratorio agudo severo coronavirus 2 in vitro

No drugs exist that effectively inhibit the cell entry or genomic replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2). This study evaluated the effects of fluoxetine on SARSCoV2 replication in vitro. Cytotoxicity of both fluoxetine isomers, as well as their impact on the replication of a clinical SARSCoV2 isolate (strain IHUMI3), was assessed using the human nasal epithelial cells. The fluoxetine isomers exhibited similar activities, each significantly inhibiting SARSCoV2 at a concentration of 0.9 µg/mL. The halfmaximal effective concentration was 0.39 µg/mL for both isomers. Treatment with a concentration of 10 µM of either isomer resulted in a 63.9% reduction in the SARSCoV2 titer. Fluoxetine also decreased viral protein expression. The present study demonstrated that fluoxetine inhibited SARSCoV2 replication in vitro, thus providing initial evidence for its potential therapeutic use against SARSCoV2 infection.