Amphiphilic anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug remdesivir incorporates into the lipid bilayer and nerve terminal membranes influencing excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission

Abstract

Remdesivir is a novel antiviral drug, which is active against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Remdesivir is known to accumulate in the brain but it is not clear whether it influences the neurotransmission. Here we report diverse and pronounced effects of remdesivir on transportation and release of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in rat cortex nerve terminals (synaptosomes) in vitro. Direct incorporation of remdesivir molecules into the cellular membranes was shown by FTIR spectroscopy, planar phospholipid bilayer membranes and computational techniques. Remdesivir decreases depolarization-induced exocytotic release of L-[¹⁴C] glutamate and [³H] GABA, and also [³H] GABA uptake and extracellular level in synaptosomes in a dose-dependent manner. Fluorimetric studies confirmed remdesivir-induced impairment of exocytosis in nerve terminals and revealed a decrease in synaptic vesicle acidification. Our data suggest that remdesivir dosing during antiviral therapy should be precisely controlled to prevent possible neuromodulatory action at the presynaptic level. Further studies of neurotropic and membranotropic effects of remdesivir are necessary.

Keywords: Amphiphilicity; Anti-SARS-COV-2 drug; Antiviral drug; Brain nerve terminals; COVID-19; Excitation; Exocytosis; FTIR spectroscopy; Inhibition; Molecular dynamics simulations; Planar phospholipid bilayer membranes; Synaptic neurotransmission; Synaptic vesicle acidification.