{"title":"Protective Effects of Liposomal Vitamin C on SARS-CoV-2 Target Viral Entry Genes in Renal Cells.","authors":"Abtin Behmardi, Leila Zolghadr, Farzad Rajaei, Saeideh Gholamzadeh Khoei, Nematollah Gheibi","doi":"10.61186/rbmb.13.4.484","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The kidneys are a potential target for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) has been shown to play an important role in reducing the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2. Recently liposomal drug delivery platforms have demonstrated promising results in enhancing the effectiveness of various therapeutics including infectious diseases. In this study, we designed a liposomal delivery system containing vitamin C to evaluate its antiviral efficacy in COVID-19, focusing on its effects on viral entry gene expression in Vero cells.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Vitamin C was loaded into a liposome made up of hydrogenated soybean phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3 phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy (polyethylene glycol)-2000], and their physicochemical properties were assessed. Next, the cytotoxicity of free and liposomal vitamin C on the survival of the Vero cell line was evaluated using the MTT assay. In addition, the expression of viral entry genes, <i>angiotensin-converting enzyme 2</i> (ACE2) and <i>transmembrane protease serine 2</i> (TMPRSS2), key mediators of SARS-CoV-2 entry into kidney cells, was investigated using RTq-PCR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Liposomes were successfully loaded with vitamin C, achieving an encapsulation efficiency of 88.03%. The liposomal vitamin C formulation exhibited a brilliant surface morphology as observed by SEM. Both free and liposomal forms of vitamin C showed cytotoxic effects at higher concentrations. Moreover, both forms downregulated the expression of viral entry genes, although the liposomal form showed superior inhibitory performance compared to the free form.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study suggests liposomal vitamin C as a safe, effective treatment for COVID-19 by targeting viral entry genes in kidney cells, protecting them from viral damage and inflammation.</p>","PeriodicalId":45319,"journal":{"name":"Reports of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"13 4","pages":"484-494"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12367220/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Reports of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.61186/rbmb.13.4.484","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The kidneys are a potential target for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) has been shown to play an important role in reducing the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2. Recently liposomal drug delivery platforms have demonstrated promising results in enhancing the effectiveness of various therapeutics including infectious diseases. In this study, we designed a liposomal delivery system containing vitamin C to evaluate its antiviral efficacy in COVID-19, focusing on its effects on viral entry gene expression in Vero cells.
Methods: Vitamin C was loaded into a liposome made up of hydrogenated soybean phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3 phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy (polyethylene glycol)-2000], and their physicochemical properties were assessed. Next, the cytotoxicity of free and liposomal vitamin C on the survival of the Vero cell line was evaluated using the MTT assay. In addition, the expression of viral entry genes, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), key mediators of SARS-CoV-2 entry into kidney cells, was investigated using RTq-PCR.
Results: Liposomes were successfully loaded with vitamin C, achieving an encapsulation efficiency of 88.03%. The liposomal vitamin C formulation exhibited a brilliant surface morphology as observed by SEM. Both free and liposomal forms of vitamin C showed cytotoxic effects at higher concentrations. Moreover, both forms downregulated the expression of viral entry genes, although the liposomal form showed superior inhibitory performance compared to the free form.
Conclusions: The study suggests liposomal vitamin C as a safe, effective treatment for COVID-19 by targeting viral entry genes in kidney cells, protecting them from viral damage and inflammation.
期刊介绍:
The Reports of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (RBMB) is the official journal of the Varastegan Institute for Medical Sciences and is dedicated to furthering international exchange of medical and biomedical science experience and opinion and a platform for worldwide dissemination. The RBMB is a medical journal that gives special emphasis to biochemical research and molecular biology studies. The Journal invites original and review articles, short communications, reports on experiments and clinical cases, and case reports containing new insights into any aspect of biochemistry and molecular biology that are not published or being considered for publication elsewhere. Publications are accepted in the form of reports of original research, brief communications, case reports, structured reviews, editorials, commentaries, views and perspectives, letters to authors, book reviews, resources, news, and event agenda.