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 or 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 cyclooxyganase enzymes. PGs can exert either proinflammatory or anti‐inflammatory effects depending on the inflammatory scenario. In this review, we survey the potential roles that NSAIDs and PGs may play during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and the development and progression of COVID‐19. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on The Pharmacology of COVID‐19. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.21/issuetoc