Childhood multiple inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) often develops weeks to months after a child experiences a mild or even asymptomatic case of COVID-19.
Some of the common symptoms of this condition are – high fever and an overly inflammatory response that can affect many organs, including the heart, brain and digestive organs.
According to experts, in the case of MIS-C, the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive in the intestines from weeks to months after infection.
Therefore, when SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, is present in the gut, and the mucosal barrier is impaired, which may allow small viral particles, such as mutant proteins, to enter. blood, leading to infections such as COVID-19 and, in rare cases, an inflammatory response that activates MIS-C.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses mutated proteins to enter and infect cells. Explain how this happened, said David Walt, senior author of the study published in the journal Nature Discover Critical Care“Working collaboratively, we were able to demonstrate that viral particles that persist in the gut long after COVID-19 infection can incite MIS-C.”
He added, “Based on this important discovery, we wanted to see if treatment with a drug developed for another condition called celiac disease could help resolve symptoms in children experiencing via MIS-C.”
For the study, the experts say the team administered the drug larazotide acetate to four critically ill children aged 3 to 17 years who were being treated for MIS-C.
Experts say they have found that larazotide reduces the release of zonulin, a molecule that can lead to increased intestinal permeability and a weakening of the mucosal barrier, a thick layer of mucus in the intestines.
For the study, the researchers compared the clinical outcomes of 4 children who received larazotide plus steroids and intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) with 22 children who received steroids and IVIG alone.
As a result, the experts found that the children who received four daily doses of larazotide acetate orally had a significantly faster resolution of gastrointestinal symptoms and a slightly shorter hospital stay.
The study also showed that serum spike protein levels fell much faster in children treated with larazotide, which cleared from the blood within one day, compared with ten days in children not treated with the drug.
These findings suggest that larazotide may provide a safe and beneficial adjuvant therapy for the treatment of MIS-C.
“Expanded clinical trials are needed to definitively determine the clinical impact of larazotide on MIS-C,” they added.
Source: Medindia
