Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, prostaglandins and COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a highly pathogenic and sometimes fatal respiratory disease responsible for the current 2020 global pandemic. Presently, there remains no effective vaccine nor efficient treatment strategies against COVID-19. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are medicines very widely used to alleviate fever, pain and inflammation (common symptoms of COVID-19 patients) through effectively blocking production of prostaglandins (PGs) via inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzymes. PGs can exert either pro- or anti-inflammatory effects depending on the inflammatory scenario. In this review, we implicate the potential roles that NSAIDs and PGs may play during SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development and progression of COVID-19.