The Effect of Sitagliptin Treatment in COVID-19 Positive Diabetic Patients

Summary

The COVID-19 pathology is frequently associated with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. In the epidemic outbreak that exploded at the beginning of 2020 in the Lombardy Region, about two thirds of the patients who died from COVID-19 were affected by diabetes mellitus. COVID-19 occurs in 70% of cases with an inflammatory pathology of the airways that can be fed by a cytokine storm and result in severe respiratory failure (10% cases) and death (5%). The pathophysiological molecular mechanisms are currently not clearly defined. It is hypothesized that the transmembrane glycoprotein type II CD26, known for the enzyme activity Dipeptilpeptidase 4 of the extracellular domain, may play a main role in this condition. It is in fact considerably expressed at the level of parenchyma and pulmonary interstitium and carries out both systemic and paracrine enzymatic activity, modulating the function of various proinflammatory cytokines, growth factors and vasoactive peptides in the deep respiratory tract. Of particular interest is the fact that Dipeptilpeptidase 4 has been identified as a cellular receptor for S glycoprotein of MERS-COV. In the case of the SARS-COV 2 virus, the main receptor is the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 protein, but a possible interaction with Dipeptilpeptidase 4 also cannot be excluded. The selective blockade of Dipeptilpeptidase 4 could therefore favorably modulate the pulmonary inflammatory response in the subject affected by COVID-19. This protein is also known for the enzymatic degradation function of the native glucagon-like peptide 1, one of the main regulators of insulin secretion. This is why it is a molecular target in the treatment of diabetes (drugs that selectively inhibit Dipeptilpeptidase 4 are marketed with an indication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes). It is believed that the use of a Dipeptilpeptidase 4 inhibitor in people with diabetes and hospitalized for Covid-19 may be safe and of particular interest for an evaluation of the effects on laboratory and instrumental indicators of inflammatory lung disease. Among the drugs that selectively block Dipeptilpeptidase 4, the one with the greatest affinity is Sitagliptin.

Timeline

Start

2021-12-29

Primary completion

2022-03-30

Completion

2022-12-30

Publications

• Background Yang JK, Feng Y, Yuan MY, Yuan SY, Fu HJ, Wu BY, Sun GZ, Yang GR, Zhang XL, Wang L, Xu X, Xu XP, Chan JC. Plasma glucose levels and diabetes are independent predictors for mortality and morbidity in patients with SARS. Diabet Med. 2006 Jun;23(6):623-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2006.01861.x.
• Background Perlman S, Azhar EI, Memish ZA, Hui DS, Zumla A. Confronting the persisting threat of the Middle East respiratory syndrome to global health security. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Feb;20(2):158-160. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30347-0. Epub 2019 Jul 3. No abstract available.
• Background Remuzzi A, Remuzzi G. COVID-19 and Italy: what next? Lancet. 2020 Apr 11;395(10231):1225-1228. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30627-9. Epub 2020 Mar 13.
• Background Yang X, Yu Y, Xu J, Shu H, Xia J, Liu H, Wu Y, Zhang L, Yu Z, Fang M, Yu T, Wang Y, Pan S, Zou X, Yuan S, Shang Y. Clinical course and outcomes of critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a single-centered, retrospective, observational study. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 May;8(5):475-481. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30079-5. Epub 2020 Feb 24.
• Background Zou H, Zhu N, Li S. The emerging role of dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 as a therapeutic target in lung disease. Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2020 Feb;24(2):147-153. doi: 10.1080/14728222.2020.1721468. Epub 2020 Jan 31.
• Background Meyerholz DK, Lambertz AM, McCray PB Jr. Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Distribution in the Human Respiratory Tract: Implications for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Am J Pathol. 2016 Jan;186(1):78-86. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2015.09.014. Epub 2015 Nov 18.
• Background Ikeda T, Kumagai E, Iwata S, Yamakawa A. Soluble CD26/Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV Enhances the Transcription of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in THP-1 Cells and Monocytes. PLoS One. 2013 Jun 21;8(6):e66520. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066520. Print 2013.
• Background Raj VS, Mou H, Smits SL, Dekkers DH, Muller MA, Dijkman R, Muth D, Demmers JA, Zaki A, Fouchier RA, Thiel V, Drosten C, Rottier PJ, Osterhaus AD, Bosch BJ, Haagmans BL. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 is a functional receptor for the emerging human coronavirus-EMC. Nature. 2013 Mar 14;495(7440):251-4. doi: 10.1038/nature12005.
• Background Zhang H, Penninger JM, Li Y, Zhong N, Slutsky AS. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a SARS-CoV-2 receptor: molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic target. Intensive Care Med. 2020 Apr;46(4):586-590. doi: 10.1007/s00134-020-05985-9. Epub 2020 Mar 3. No abstract available.
• Background Vankadari N, Wilce JA. Emerging WuHan (COVID-19) coronavirus: glycan shield and structure prediction of spike glycoprotein and its interaction with human CD26. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020 Mar 17;9(1):601-604. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1739565. eCollection 2020.
• Background Kulcsar KA, Coleman CM, Beck SE, Frieman MB. Comorbid diabetes results in immune dysregulation and enhanced disease severity following MERS-CoV infection. JCI Insight. 2019 Oct 17;4(20):e131774. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.131774.
• Background Li K, Wohlford-Lenane CL, Channappanavar R, Park JE, Earnest JT, Bair TB, Bates AM, Brogden KA, Flaherty HA, Gallagher T, Meyerholz DK, Perlman S, McCray PB Jr. Mouse-adapted MERS coronavirus causes lethal lung disease in human DPP4 knockin mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Apr 11;114(15):E3119-E3128. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1619109114. Epub 2017 Mar 27.

Drugs

Indications