Sexual Dimorphism of COVID-19 Inspires Drug Repositioning and Host-Targeting Immunotherapy for Viral Pneumonia

    April 2026 in “ Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy ”
    Lunzhi Yuan, Haiqing Xiao, Xuan Liu … Ningshao Xia
    Studysummary In a hamster model of COVID-19, this study observed that both low and high doses of testosterone worsened illness in males, while finasteride prevented severe outcomes.
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    Research cited in this study 5

    1. Role of Testosterone in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Key Pathogenic Factor and a Biomarker for Severe Pneumonia International Journal of Infectious Diseases · 2021
    2. Androgen Signaling Regulates SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Levels and Is Associated with Severe COVID-19 Symptoms in Men Cell Stem Cell · 2020
    3. Investigation of Suicidality and Psychological Adverse Events in Patients Treated With Finasteride JAMA Dermatology · 2020
    4. Persistent Erectile Dysfunction in Men Exposed to 5α-Reductase Inhibitors, Finasteride, or Dutasteride PeerJ · 2017
    5. Persistent Sexual Side Effects of Finasteride for Male Pattern Hair Loss The Journal of Sexual Medicine · 2011