Abstract
The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
(SARS-CoV-2) has posed a serious threat to global public health.
Respiratory failure followed by cardiovascular complications with
wide-spread endothelial dysfunction and inflammation is rapidly emerging
as a key threat in COVID-19. ACE-2 receptors are the cell-entry gate for
SARS-CoV-2. Valproic Acid (VPA) is a proposed potential drug to treat
COVID-19 but its mechanism of action is not well understood. We
demonstrate that VPA-treatment significantly reduced ACE-2 expression in
endothelial cells. VPA-treatment significantly reduced the expression of
inflammatory cytokines IL-6 along with the endothelial activation marker
ICAM-1. We provide evidence and discuss the plausible mechanism in
detail for VPA use to prevent and treat COVID-19 in a personalized
manner. Our study is expected to entice the scientific and clinical
society to investigate VPA as a potential therapeutic option against
COVID-19.