Table 1.
Susceptibility of human coronavirus to interferon treatment.
| HCoV | Type of Study | IFN | Efficacy | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SARS-CoV-2 | In vitro | IFNβ, IFNλ1 | Inhibition in primary human bronchial epithelial cells. | 211, 212 |
| IFNγ | No effect in primary human bronchial epithelial cells. | 211 | ||
| IFNβ, IFNγ, IFNλ1 | Inhibition of viral replication in Calu-3 cells. | 211 | ||
| IFN-α, IFN-λ | Inhibition of viral replication in human Calu-3 and simian Vero E6 cells. | 213 | ||
| Animal model of hamster | IFN-I (IFN-α A/D) | Intranasal administration of IFN-I limits SARS-CoV-2 replication and inflammation in hamsters. | 57 | |
| Retrospective Observational Study | IFN-α2b | Early administration of IFN-α2b was associated with the reduction of in-hospital mortality in comparison to patients that did not receive IFN-α2b treatment. | 59 | |
| Clinical trial (phase 2) | IFN-β1b | Early treatment with triple combination of interferon IFNβ-1b, lopinavir-ritonavir, and ribavirin was associated with reduced duration of viral shedding compared to the lopinavir-ritonavir treatment group. | 214 | |
| Peg- IFN-λ1 | Acceleration of viral decline and clearance in COVID-19 outpatients. | 62 | ||
| Randomized Controlled Trial | Peg IFN-λ1a | Neither reduced duration of viral shedding nor improved symptoms. | 61 | |
| MERS-CoV | In vitro | IFN-β | Inhibition of viral replication in Calu-3 cells. | 215 |
| IFN-β | Inhibition of viral replication in Vero E6 cells. | 216 | ||
| Animal models | IFN-α2b | Treatment of MERS-CoV infected rhesus macaques with IFN-α2b and ribavirin reduces viral replication, moderates the host response, and improves clinical outcomes. | 55 | |
| IFN-β1b | IFN-β1b improved clinical, radiological, and pathological outcomes while reducing the viral load of the infected Common Marmoset. | 217 | ||
| Combination of lopinavir, ritonavir and IFN-β (LPV/RTV-IFNb) | Therapeutic LPV/RTV-IFN-β improves pulmonary function but does not reduce viral replication or severe lung pathology in human DPP4 mouse model. | 215 | ||
| Observational Study | Ribavirin and/or rIFN-α2a, rIFN-α2b, or rIFN-β1a | RBV/rIFN (RBV and/or rIFN-α2a, rIFN-α2b, or rIFN-β1a) therapy was commonly used in critically ill MERS patients but was not associated with reduction in 90-day mortality or faster MERS-CoV RNA clearance. | 218 | |
| Retrospective cohort study | Ribavirin and IFN-α2a | In patients with severe MERS-CoV infection, ribavirin and interferon alfa-2a therapy is associated with significantly improved survival at 14 days, but not at 28 days. | 219 | |
| Randomized Controlled Trial | IFN-β1b | Early treatment of IFN-β1b and lopinavir-ritonavir led to lower mortality in comparison to the placebo treatment. | 60 | |
| SARS-CoV | In vitro | IFN-α | IFN lead to a modest reduction in viral titer in Calu-3 cells. | 53 |
| IFN alfacon 1 | Inhibit viral yield in Calu-3 cell line. | 220 | ||
| IFN-α, IFN-β | IFN-α and IFN-β protected cells from CPE and reduced viral replication in Vero, Caco2 and Frhk-4 cells. | 221, 222, 223 | ||
| Animal model | IFN-α | IFN-α significantly reduces viral replication and excretion in cynomolgus macaques. | 54 | |
| Retrospective cohort study | IFN alfacon 1 plus corticosteroids | The combination of Interferon alfacon-1 plus corticosteroids was associated with reduced disease-associated impaired oxygen saturation, more rapid resolution of radiographic lung abnormalities, and lower levels of creatine kinase. | 224 | |
| HCoV-NL63 | Clinical trial (Single case) | IFN-α2b | Treatment of IFN-α2b eliminated NL63 infection in a leukemia patient. | 225 |
| HCoV-OC43 | In vitro | IFN-α, IFNγ, IFNλ | Enhanced viral infection in cells via the induction of IFITM2/3. | 52 |