Metabolic Activation of PARP as a SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutic Target—Is It a Bait for the Virus or the Best Deal We Could Ever Make with the Virus? Is AMBICA the Potential Cure?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on global health and is an economic burden. Even with vaccines and anti-viral medications we are still scrambling to get a balance. In this perspective, we have shed light upon an extremely feasible approach by which we can control the SARS-CoV-2 infection and the associated complications, bringing some solace to this ongoing turmoil. We are providing some insights regarding an ideal agent which could prevent SARS-CoV-2 multiplication. If we could identify an agent which is an activator of metabolism and is also bioactive, we could prevent corona activation (AMBICA). Some naturally occurring lipid molecules best fit this identity as an agent which has the capacity to replenish our host cells, specifically immune cells, with ATP. It could also act as a source for providing a substrate for host cell PARP family members for MARylation and PARylation processes, leading to manipulation of the viral macro domain function, resulting in curbing the virulence and propagation of SARS-CoV-2. Identification of the right lipid molecule or combination of lipid molecules will fulfill the criteria. This perspective has focused on a unique angle of host-pathogen interaction and will open up a new dimension in treating COVID-19 infection.