{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:35:08Z","timestamp":1760060108930,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754092800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003196","name":"Ministero della Salute, Ricerca Corrente 5 \u00d7 1000 progetto","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["VISION 08069621","PE00000007","CUP F13C22001220007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["VISION 08069621","PE00000007","CUP F13C22001220007"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003196","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"EU funding within the NextGeneration EU-MUR -PNRR Extended Partnership initiative on Emerging Infectious Diseases INF-ACT","award":["VISION 08069621","PE00000007","CUP F13C22001220007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["VISION 08069621","PE00000007","CUP F13C22001220007"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiologic agent that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) identified in Wuhan, in 2019. Men are more prone to developing severe manifestations than women, suggesting a possible crucial role of sex hormones. 17,\u03b2-Estradiol (E2) and 1,25 \u03b1 dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol) act upon gene pathways as immunomodulators in several infectious respiratory diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the influence of E2 and calcitriol on the VSV-based pseudovirus SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. We infected Vero E6 cells with the recombinant VSV-based pseudovirus SARS-CoV-2 and the SARS-CoV-2 viruses according to the pre-treatment and pre\u2013post-treatment models. The Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) gene expression did not change under different treatments. The VSV-based pseudovirus SARS-CoV-2 infection showed a significant decrease in the focus-forming unit count in the presence of E2 and calcitriol (either alone or in combination) in the pre-treatment model, while in the pre\u2013post-treatment model, the infection was inhibited only in the presence of E2. Th SARS-CoV-2 infection highlighted a decrease in viral titres in the presence of E2 and calcitriol only in the pre\u2013post-treatment model. 17,\u03b2-Estradiol and calcitriol can exert an inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2 infections, demonstrating their protective role against viral infections.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens14080765","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,6]],"date-time":"2025-08-06T07:45:11Z","timestamp":1754466311000},"page":"765","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Influence of Sex and 1,25\u03b1 Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Viral Entry"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7453-2151","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicole","family":"Vercellino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2397-7079","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro","family":"Ferrari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Virology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"National PhD Programme in One Health Approaches to Infectious Diseases and Life Science Research, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3707-3118","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Camilla","family":"Sammartino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1488-8736","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mattia","family":"Bellan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"},{"name":"Center for Autoimmune and Allergic Disease (CAAD), Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Maggiore della Carit\u00e0, 28100 Novara, Italy"},{"name":"Emergency Medicine Department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Maggiore della Carit\u00e0, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Iskandar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Virology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"National PhD Programme in One Health Approaches to Infectious Diseases and Life Science Research, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7747-7622","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniele","family":"Lilleri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Virology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7548-9731","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rosalba","family":"Minisini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110","DOI":"10.1136\/postgradmedj-2020-138386","article-title":"SARS-CoV-2 and the Pandemic of COVID-19","volume":"97","author":"Adil","year":"2021","journal-title":"Postgrad. 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