αVβ6 Integrin: An Intriguing Target for COVID-19 and Related Diseases

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has been an extraordinary event that constituted a global health emergency. As the novel coronavirus is continuing to spread over the world, the need for therapeutic agents to control this pandemic is increasing. α_Vβ₆ Integrin may be an intriguing target not only for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 entry, but also for the diagnosis/treatment of COVID-19 related fibrosis, an emerging type of fibrotic disease which will probably affect a significant part of the recovered patients. In this short article, the possible role of this integrin for fighting COVID-19 is discussed on the basis of recently published evidence, showing how its underestimated involvement may be interesting for the development of novel pharmacological tools.