Potential of Endogenous Oxytocin in Endocrine Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a significant threat to the health of human beings. While wearing mask, maintaining social distance and performing self-quarantine can reduce virus spreading passively, vaccination actively enhances immune defense against COVID-19. However, mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and presence of asymptomatic carriers frustrate the effort of completely conquering COVID-19. A strategy that can reduce the susceptibility and thus prevent COVID-19 while blocking viral invasion and pathogenesis independent of viral antigen stability is highly desirable. In the pathogenesis of COVID-19, endocrine disorders have been implicated. Correspondingly, many hormones have been identified to possess therapeutic potential of treating COVID-19, such as estrogen, melatonin, corticosteroids, thyroid hormone and oxytocin. Among them, oxytocin has the potential of both treatment and prevention of COVID-19. This is based on oxytocin promotion of immune-metabolic homeostasis, suppression of inflammation and pre-existing comorbidities, acceleration of damage repair, and reduction of individuals’ susceptibility to pathogen infection. Oxytocin may specifically inactivate SARS-COV-2 spike protein and block viral entry into cells via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 by suppressing serine protease and increasing interferon levels and number of T-lymphocytes. In addition, oxytocin can promote parasympathetic outflow and the secretion of body fluids that could dilute and even inactivate SARS-CoV-2 on the surface of cornea, oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. What we need to do now is clinical trials. Such trials should fully balance the advantages and disadvantages of oxytocin application, consider the time- and dose-dependency of oxytocin effects, optimize the dosage form and administration approach, combine oxytocin with inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication, apply specific passive immunization, and timely utilize efficient vaccines. Meanwhile, blocking COVID-19 transmission chain and developing other efficient anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs are also important. In addition, relative to the complex issues with drug applications over a long term, oxytocin can be mobilized through many physiological stimuli, and thus used as a general prevention measure. In this review, we explore the potential of oxytocin for treatment and prevention of COVID-19 and perhaps other similar pathogens.

Post-COVID Endocrine Disorders: Putative Role of Molecular Mimicry and Some Pathomorphological Correlates

“…Interestingly, neurohypophysis was free from any histological signs of involvement in severe COVID-19, as well as its autoantigen, rabfillin-3A, displayed only one pentapeptide shared and with one seasonal human coronavirus only. These data may be related to recently discovered fact of protective role in COVID-19 played by oxytocin secreted by neurohypophysis [43].…”

Neural Functions of Hypothalamic Oxytocin and its Regulation

“…Hormones are important factors for body development and adaptive responses to environmental changes. Among many hormones, oxytocin (OT) is not only the key factor in the milk-ejection reflex, the most classical neural humoral reflex ( Wakerley et al, 1994 ), but also possesses a variety of functions such as regulation of immunological, metabolic and endocrine activity and many other peripheral functions ( Liu et al, 2022 ; Wang et al, 2015 ; Wang et al, 2019b ; Wang et al, 2022 ; Yang et al, 2013 ) as outlined in Figure 1 . OT is mainly synthesized in OT neurons in the supraoptic nucleus (SON), paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and several accessory nuclei in the hypothalamus.…”

Dual Oxytocin Receptor-G Protein Signaling in the Autoregulation of Activities of Oxytocin Neurons

“…In addition, interactions at GPCR levels between OT and other neuropeptides and neurotransmitters are also worthy of investigation, such as cholecystokinin [185], histamine [162], glutamate [186], and noradrenalin [112]. To translate findings in OT-associated studies into clinical administration, further validation of research findings in women’s diseases and exploration of sex-specific OT/OTR signaling in human beings are necessary, while more clinical trials should be performed as recently proposed [187]. As a whole, further study on the regulation of OT/OTR-associated signaling processes in the autoregulation of OT neuronal activity has broad implications in understanding the OT-secreting system and in clinical management of OT-associated healthy issues.…”