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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its neuroinvasive capacity: Is it time for melatonin?
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  • Alejandro Romero,
  • Eva Ramos,
  • Francisco López Muñoz,
  • Emilio Gil-Martín,
  • Germaine Escames,
  • Russ Reiter
Alejandro Romero
Complutense University of Madrid

Corresponding Author:manarome@ucm.es

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Eva Ramos
Complutense University of Madrid
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Francisco López Muñoz
Camilo Jose Cela University
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Emilio Gil-Martín
University of Vigo Faculty of Biology
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Germaine Escames
University of Granada
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Russ Reiter
University of Texas UTHSCSA
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Abstract

The world faces an exceptional new public health concern caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), subsequently termed the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although the clinical symptoms mostly have been characterized, the scientific community still doesn´t know how SARS-CoV-2 successfully reaches and spread throughout the central nervous system (CNS) inducing brain damage. The recent detection of SARS CoV-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in frontal lobe sections from postmortem examination have confirmed the presence of the virus in neural tissue. Here, we discuss the COVID-19 outbreak in a neuroinvasiveness context and suggest the therapeutic use of high doses of melatonin, which may favorably modulate the immune response and neuroinflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2. However, clinical trials elucidating the efficacy of melatonin in the prevention and clinical management in the COVID-19 patients should be actively encouraged.
Apr 2022Published in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology volume 42 issue 3 on pages 489-500. 10.1007/s10571-020-00938-8