Intranasal type I interferon treatment is beneficial only when administered before clinical signs onset in the SARS-CoV-2 hamster model.

Impaired type I interferons (IFNs) production or signaling have been associated with severe COVID-19, further promoting the evaluation of recombinant type I IFNs as therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the Syrian hamster model, we show that intranasal administration of IFN-α starting one da...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pierre Bessière, Marine Wasniewski, Evelyne Picard-Meyer, Alexandre Servat, Thomas Figueroa, Charlotte Foret-Lucas, Amelia Coggon, Sandrine Lesellier, Frank Boué, Nathan Cebron, Blandine Gausserès, Catherine Trumel, Gilles Foucras, Francisco J Salguero, Elodie Monchatre-Leroy, Romain Volmer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-08-01
Series:PLoS Pathogens
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009427
Description
Summary:Impaired type I interferons (IFNs) production or signaling have been associated with severe COVID-19, further promoting the evaluation of recombinant type I IFNs as therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the Syrian hamster model, we show that intranasal administration of IFN-α starting one day pre-infection or one day post-infection limited weight loss and decreased viral lung titers. By contrast, intranasal administration of IFN-α starting at the onset of symptoms three days post-infection had no impact on the clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our results provide evidence that early type I IFN treatment is beneficial, while late interventions are ineffective, although not associated with signs of enhanced disease.
ISSN:1553-7366
1553-7374