THE USE OF ANTIPARASITIC DRUGS AS A TREATMENT FOR COVID-19: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Objetive: Describe research related to the use of antiparasitic drugs as likely treatment in COVID-19 based on scientific literature. Methods: This is a literature review that uses two platforms as a database: Pubmed and BIREME. Were included in this study twelve published articles, from 2019 to September 2020, which referred to or were related to the use of antiparasitic drugs as a therapeutic alternative to COVID-19. Results: The antiparasitic drugs ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine (HQC), and nitazoxanide (NTZ) were the main drugs extensively studied as therapeutic alternatives for SARS-CoV-2. Ivermectin exhibited a 5000-fold reduction in SARS-CoV-2 RNA over a 48h period, at a concentration of 5μM. While HQC was able to block the entry of SARS-Cov-2 into Vero cells previously treated with 50μM. In addition, NTZ, presented an average inhibition concentration (EC50) of 2.12 μM. The mechanisms of anti-SARS-CoV-2 actions of all the drugs mentioned are not yet fully elucidated. However, it is known that the antiviral potential may be related to the inhibition of essential viral proteins (ivermectin), blockade of interaction in virus-host (HTZ), and immunosuppressant (NTZ). Conclusion: The use of antiparasitic agents for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 have shown promise. However, it is necessary to further investigate the efficacy of the drugs mentioned in this study, to obtain more satisfactory results, seeking to avoid adverse effects on patients, and ensuring safety for them.