Covid-19 And Cancer: Insights Into Their Association And Influence On Genetic And Epigenetic Landscape

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has created disaster globally, and mankind is yet to come in terms with combating this global menace. Amid this turmoil, immunocompromised individuals like cancer patients exhibit dismal immune responses toward such infection. In order to treat cancer patients during such adverse situations, it is necessary to understand the phenomena that interlink these two diseased states. Modulation of host epigenetic landscape is a key hallmark of both cancer and viral infections, including COVID-19. Our review aims to shed light upon the interplay between COVID-19 and cancer, primarily through the genetic and epigenetic modulations of the gene expression profile, so as to design better therapeutic strategies in the near future.

Synthesis of Cobalt(III) Complexes Derived from Pyridoxal: Structural Cleavage Evaluations and In Silico Calculations for Biological Targets

“…During the pandemic scenario of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), different reports showed diverse life-threatening effects due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Like many oncogenic viruses, it has been hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 employs various strategies to cause cancer in different organs [38][39][40]. Thus, since C1-C4 and C1'-C4' showed in silico capacity to act as anticancer agents and SARS-CoV-2 infection might increase the probability of causing cancer, molecular docking calculations were also carried out on the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (wild type) with the receptor binding domain (RBD) in both up and down conformations without and in complex with the cellular receptor ACE2 to explore all feasible possibilities of interactions.…”

“…However, novel metallodrugs have been designed to also inhibit specific enzymes crucial for cancer cell survival and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to induce oxidative stress and apoptosis selectively, e.g., platinum-and palladium-based compounds [32][33][34][35][36][37]. Interestingly, some reports correlated the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with increasing probability of cancer development in different organs [38][39][40] and due to the unique mechanisms of action and the versatility of metallodrugs in interacting with biological molecules, e.g., targeting specific crucial steps for cancer cells and also interfering with the viral replication process, either by directly targeting viral components or by modulating host cellular mechanisms, metallodrugs might represent a promising frontier in both cancer and antiviral therapies [41,42]. In this sense, cobalt Schiff base complexes have gained attention, mainly due to their ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells [43,44] and inhibit viral replication by targeting different viral enzymes [45,46], which offers a promising avenue for the development new therapies.…”

COVID‐19 and cancer: Dichotomy of the menacing dilemma

“…By synthesizing the available knowledge, the objectives of this review are to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities that have arisen at the juncture of COVID-19 and cancer, ultimately guiding future research directions and shaping the evolution of cancer care in a postpandemic landscape. [29][30][31] In this review, we highlight a cohesive understanding of SARS-CoV-2's structural attributes, mechanisms of interaction with cancer, its impact on the landscape of different cancer types against the backdrop of newly emerging variants, therapeutic avenues comprising of effective vaccination strategies and drug modalities, as well as the future directives to navigate the threshold of the dual dilemma of COVID-19 and cancer. By elucidating these interconnected facets, this work aims to contribute to the collective knowledge needed to effectively address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of cancer care and research.…”