Blog #2.5

Fluvoxamine is a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) that can be used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder and for other conditions such as depression (Covid-19 Treatment guidelines, 2021). Fluvoxamine is also an agonist for sigma-1 receptors that control inflammation (Sukhatme et al, 2021).

Covid 19 is usually associated with an increased level of inflammatory mediators including cytokines and chemokines (Sukhatme et al, 2021), therefore it was found that when fluvoxamine binds to the sigma 1 receptors it results in decreased production of inflammatory cytokines (Covid-19 Treatment guidelines, 2021). The proposed mechanism of action of fluvoxamine in Covid-19 treatment includes reduction in platelet aggregation, decreased mast cell degranulation, interference with endolysosomal viral trafficking, regulation of inositol-requiring enzyme 1α-driven inflammation and decreased melatonin levels, which all together have a direct antiviral effect, regulate coagulopathy or mitigate cytokine storm which are the signature trademarks of severe Covid-19 (Sukhatme et al, 2021).

Reference List

COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines. (n.d.). Fluvoxamine. [online] Available at: https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/therapies/immunomodulators/fluvoxamine/ [Accessed 18 Oct. 2021].

Sukhatme, V.P., Reiersen, A.M., Vayttaden, S.J. and Sukhatme, V.V. (2021). Fluvoxamine: A Review of Its Mechanism of Action and Its Role in COVID-19. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12.