Version 1
: Received: 30 June 2022 / Approved: 1 July 2022 / Online: 1 July 2022 (05:33:16 CEST)
How to cite:
Marchi, C.; Corrêa Martins Jr., D. A Hybrid AI-driven Algorithm to Uncover Potential Therapeutic Targets for COVID-19 Using Network-based Drug Repurposing. Preprints2022, 2022070004. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202207.0004.v1.
Marchi, C.; Corrêa Martins Jr., D. A Hybrid AI-driven Algorithm to Uncover Potential Therapeutic Targets for COVID-19 Using Network-based Drug Repurposing. Preprints 2022, 2022070004. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202207.0004.v1.
Cite as:
Marchi, C.; Corrêa Martins Jr., D. A Hybrid AI-driven Algorithm to Uncover Potential Therapeutic Targets for COVID-19 Using Network-based Drug Repurposing. Preprints2022, 2022070004. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202207.0004.v1.
Marchi, C.; Corrêa Martins Jr., D. A Hybrid AI-driven Algorithm to Uncover Potential Therapeutic Targets for COVID-19 Using Network-based Drug Repurposing. Preprints 2022, 2022070004. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202207.0004.v1.
Abstract
The COVID-19 was described as a respiratory illness, however further studies recognize it as a complex heterogeneous multisystemic disorder. Global efforts have been proposed to combat COVID-19, emerging diverse therapeutic options, in which discovering new drug therapies, development of vaccines and drug repurposing have been considered the most promising approaches to fight the virus. This study aimed to repurpose known drugs for use against the COVID-19, finding better therapeutic options. Seventeen biological databases were used in this study. The genetic algorithm (GA) was performed for a set of drug target classes and COVID-19 proteins as input, whose drug candidates are obtained according to the target similarities found in the target-target similarity predictive network, resulting in a drug-target interaction network. Thus, recommended drugs correspond to the union of the drug subsets found during each GA execution. Twenty-eight drugs were indicated to be the best therapeutic targets for the virus, in special, the Cyclosporine drug was administered as adjuvant to steroid treatment for COVID-19 patients which showed positive outcomes, reducing mortality in moderate and severe cases. The drugs found have used to treat other diseases, evidencing that the COVID-19 is a multisystemic disorder and suggests that the viruses’ mechanism of action presents some comorbidity with other human diseases. Evidence shows that the drugs found in this research might act together to fight the virus in a broader fashion, however further studies including in vitro and in vivo experiments are needed to find the best combination of these drugs.
MEDICINE & PHARMACOLOGY, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
