Summary: Researchers identified a potential treatment for long COVID by restoring the function of ion channels in immune cells using low-dose Naltrexone. This discovery, detailed in Frontiers in Immunology, mirrors earlier findings with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients, suggesting a common pathophysiological thread between the two conditions.
The breakthrough could alleviate symptoms such as brain fog and muscle fatigue. Clinical trials for both long COVID and ME/CFS are set to begin, testing the efficacy of this repurposed drug.
Key Facts:
- Ion Channel Restoration: The study focuses on restoring ion channel function in immune cells, crucial for regulating bodily processes and alleviating symptoms.
- Repurposing Naltrexone: Naltrexone, a drug commonly used for opioid addiction, has shown promise in preliminary studies and anecdotal reports for improving ion channel function.
- Upcoming Clinical Trials: Griffith University is launching two clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of low-dose Naltrexone in treating both long COVID and ME/CFS patients.
Source: Griffith University
Researchers from Griffith University’s National Center for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) have made a discovery that could bring relief to those struggling with long COVID.
In a world-first finding, they’ve identified a way to restore the faulty function of ion channels on immune cells using a well-known drug typically used for other medical purposes.
The breakthrough, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, builds on previous research showing long COVID patients share similar issues with ion channels as those with chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS).
The team had previously shown success in restoring ion channel function in ME/CFS patients using a drug called Naltrexone, and now they’ve achieved similar results with long COVID patients.
First author Ph.D. candidate Etianne Sasso said the research team had previously reported restoring the function of these ion channels of immune cells in laboratory trials.
“Ion channels are integral membrane proteins that facilitate the passage of ions (charged particles) across the cell membrane,” Sasso said.
“We found that by restoring the function of these ion channels, important ions such as calcium were again able to move in and out of immune cells, controlling many of the body’s biological processes.”
This breakthrough offers hope for alleviating various ME/CFS symptoms, including brain fog, muscle fatigue, and issues with the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.
Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, senior author and Director of NCNED, said the significance of this discovery, achieved through the gold standard test called electrophysiology, will help in better understanding long COVID and ME/CFS paving the way for potential therapies.
The NCNED is preparing to launch two clinical trials, one for long COVID and another for ME/CFS, testing the effectiveness of low-dose Naltrexone.
This drug, typically used for opioid addiction, has shown promising results in restoring ion channel function in previous research and in anecdotal reports from patients.
“We will be undertaking two clinical trials testing the efficacy of low dose naltrexone where the first will be in long COVID patients while the second trial will, for the first time, be in ME/CFS patients,” Professor Marshall-Gradisnik said.
“Should these trials prove successful, it could mean a vastly improved quality of life for countless individuals struggling with long COVID and ME/CFS.”
About this neuropharmacology and long-COVID research news
Author: Etianne Sasso
Source: Griffith University
Contact: Etianne Sasso – Griffith University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Investigation into the restoration of TRPM3 ion channel activity in post-COVID-19 condition: a potential pharmacotherapeutic target” by Etianne Sasso et al. Frontiers in Immunology
Abstract
Investigation into the restoration of TRPM3 ion channel activity in post-COVID-19 condition: a potential pharmacotherapeutic target
Introduction:
Recently, we reported that post COVID-19 condition patients also have Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 3 (TRPM3) ion channel dysfunction, a potential biomarker reported in natural killer (NK) cells from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) patients. As there is no universal treatment for post COVID-19 condition, knowledge of ME/CFS may provide advances to investigate therapeutic targets.
Naltrexone hydrochloride (NTX) has been demonstrated to be beneficial as a pharmacological intervention for ME/CFS patients and experimental investigations have shown NTX restored TRPM3 function in NK cells. This research aimed to: i) validate impaired TRPM3 ion channel function in post COVID-19 condition patients compared with ME/CFS; and ii) investigate NTX effects on TRPM3 ion channel activity in post COVID-19 condition patients.
Methods:
Whole-cell patch-clamp was performed to characterize TRPM3 ion channel activity in freshly isolated NK cells of post COVID-19 condition (N = 9; 40.56 ± 11.26 years), ME/CFS (N = 9; 39.33 ± 9.80 years) and healthy controls (HC) (N = 9; 45.22 ± 9.67 years). NTX effects were assessed on post COVID-19 condition (N = 9; 40.56 ± 11.26 years) and HC (N = 7; 45.43 ± 10.50 years) where NK cells were incubated for 24 hours in two protocols: treated with 200 µM NTX, or non-treated; TRPM3 channel function was assessed with patch-clamp protocol.
Results:
This investigation confirmed impaired TRPM3 ion channel function in NK cells from post COVID-19 condition and ME/CFS patients. Importantly, PregS-induced TRPM3 currents were significantly restored in NTX-treated NK cells from post COVID-19 condition compared with HC. Furthermore, the sensitivity of NK cells to ononetin was not significantly different between post COVID-19 condition and HC after treatment with NTX.
Discussion:
Our findings provide further evidence identifying similarities of TRPM3 ion channel dysfunction between ME/CFS and post COVID-19 condition patients. This study also reports, for the first time, TRPM3 ion channel activity was restored in NK cells isolated from post COVID-19 condition patients after in vitro treatment with NTX.
The TRPM3 restoration consequently may re-establish TRPM3-dependent calcium (Ca2+) influx. This investigation proposes NTX as a potential therapeutic intervention and TRPM3 as a treatment biomarker for post COVID-19 condition.