Lithium Chloride Shows Surprising Ability to Block Inflammatory Damage from COVID-19 Spike Protein in Lung Cancer Cells
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Apr 10, 2025 2 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes ago
Medical News: A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers from the University of Limpopo and the University of Cape Town in South Africa has unveiled the potential of lithium chloride—a drug more commonly known for treating bipolar disorder—as a promising tool against the inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, in lung cancer patients.
Lithium Chloride Shows Surprising Ability to Block Inflammatory Damage from COVID-19 Spike Protein in Lung Cancer Cells
In their detailed laboratory investigation, scientists explored how lithium chloride (LiCl) affects lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells when these cells are exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This spike protein, which allows the virus to attach and enter human cells, is known to trigger dangerous levels of inflammation, oxidative stress, and even cell death, especially in individuals with pre-existing health conditions such as lung cancer. This
Medical News report dives deep into how a common psychiatric drug might offer protection at a cellular level.
The COVID Spike Protein Triggers Massive Cellular Stress
The spike protein used in the study was the S1-His recombinant version, designed to mimic the viral protein without carrying infectious virus particles. When introduced into the A549 lung cancer cells, the spike protein caused a dramatic increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO)—both harmful chemicals that indicate inflammation and cellular stress. In untreated cells, less than 5% showed signs of oxidative stress. But after exposure to the spike protein, up to 75% of the cells displayed signs of ROS overload, while nitric oxide production also surged dangerously.
This chemical chaos led to significant damage: most cells stopped proliferating and began to die, especially through late-stage apoptosis (programmed cell death), a hallmark of inflammatory injury. The spike protein also altered the normal cycle of cell division, pushing cells into the DNA synthesis (S) phase while disrupting their ability to complete the cycle properly.
Lithium Chloride to the Rescue—but only in Low Doses
When LiCl was added to the mix, the results were stunning. At low concentrations (10 and 20 mM), lithium chloride dramatically reduced oxidative stress. It restored ROS-negative cells from 24% back to over 85%, lowered nitric oxide production, and helped more cells survive by promoting early instead of late apoptosis—a more controlled and less damaging form of cell death.
More intriguingly, lithium altered the cell cycle in a way that blocked cancer cells from progressing, especially arresting them in the G2/M phase. This phase is a checkpoint just before a cell divides, and arresting it here could slow cancer progression.
At the same time, LiCl balanced the body’s immune response. It initially raised levels of the inflammatory markers IL-6 and NF-κB, but in the presence of the spike protein, it helped reduce these markers.
A cytokine array test confirmed that the spike protein on its own triggered at least 26 inflammatory targets, but when combined with 20 mM lithium chloride, the intensity of these inflammatory markers dropped sharply.
Why These Findings Matter for Cancer Patients with COVID-19
Patients with cancer—especially those undergoing treatments like chemotherapy—are already in an immunocompromised state. Contracting COVID-19 often leads to more severe symptoms, longer hospital stays, and higher death rates. What this study shows is that lithium chloride, when carefully dosed, can potentially be repurposed to reduce the deadly inflammatory effects of the COVID-19 virus in these vulnerable individuals.
It is important to note that high doses of lithium chloride had the opposite effect. At concentrations of 80 mM or 100 mM, the protective effects disappeared, and the cells once again experienced high stress and increased cell death. This points to the importance of precise dosing in any future therapeutic applications.
Conclusion
This pioneering research suggests that lithium chloride, a well-known and widely available psychiatric medication, could be repurposed to manage COVID-19–induced inflammation in lung cancer patients. Its ability to reduce oxidative stress, balance inflammatory signals, and influence the cancer cell cycle makes it a strong candidate for further clinical studies. However, dosage is critical—too much of it reverses its benefits. More extensive animal and human trials will be needed before lithium chloride can be adopted as a COVID-19 adjunct therapy, but the current findings are a crucial step forward. For patients with lung cancer who are vulnerable to COVID-19, this could open a new path for protection and survival.
The researchers involved in this study were Ramushu Pearl, Mangoakoane D Francina, Makola T Raymond, and Matsebatlela M Thabe from the University of Limpopo, along with Reto Guler and Whonghuwah Muntonia Heidi Makena from the University of Cape Town.
The study findings were published on a preprint server and are currently being peer reviewed.
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6228859/v1
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