Adrenocortical response in influenza as a pattern for using corticosteroids in COVID-19

Authors

  • Irma Tha. Rass Center of Theoretical Problems of Physico-Chemical Pharmacology (until 2007), Moscow, Russia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2020.12.3.0267

Keywords:

Adrenocortical response, Acute influenza, Corticosteroid therapy, Analogy with COVID-19

Abstract

In patients with influenza hospitalized during the epidemic (Moscow, 1977) blood levels of 11-oxycorticosteroids (11-OX) and tyrosine were determined. Due to specific features of tyrosine metabolism, its blood level is virtually determined by two factors: the functional competence of hepatocytes and tissue provision with glucocorticoids. Similar hypertyrosinemia was revealed in 11 patients with a severe complicated course of the disease and in 9 of 22 patients with a relatively light course of influenza. At virtually the same “intoxication start” the adrenocortical response was dramatically different in “severe” and “relatively light” patients: at the beginning of the disease in the “relatively light” patients there was a pronounced increase in the 11-OX level, whereas in the “severe” patients the level of 11-OX retained at the level normal for the physiological rest conditions. Thus, the clinical course of the acute infection was associated with the presence or absence of the well-timed adrenocortical response.

It seems that corticosteroid preparations would be most useful at the beginning of acute infection – as imitation of the full-value adrenocortical response. Possibly, the same would be useful for treatment of COVID-19.

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References

Rass IT, Zaslavskaya RM, Zolotaya RD, Shekhaeva OM. Changes in the adrenal cortex activity and blood tyrosine content in influenza (in Russian), Terap Arkhiv. 1978; 60 (12): 107-9.

Rass IT. Can We Tame Glucocorticoids? Blood Tyrosine as a New Laboratory Test, J Biomol Res Ther. 2016; 5:2.

Knox WE. Metabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine, Amino Acid Metabolism, 1955; Edited by D. McElroy, B. Glass; Baltimore. 836-66.

Udenfriend S, Cooper JR. (1952). The chemical estimation of tyrosine and tyramine, J Biol Chem. 1952; 196(1): 227-233.

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Published

2020-09-30

How to Cite

Irma Tha. Rass. (2020). Adrenocortical response in influenza as a pattern for using corticosteroids in COVID-19. GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 12(3), 098–101. https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2020.12.3.0267

Issue

Section

Short Comunication