Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for treatment of damaged lung tissue, e.g., lungs of a patient with a viral infection (e.g., coronavirus) and/or a bacterial infection and/or a parasitic pathogen or a patient whose lung tissue was damaged by exposure to a chemical, and a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Also provided is a method for protecting the brain from neuro-invasion and preventing inflammatory damage to organs remote from the lungs, by blocking cytokine synthesis in the lungs. The treatment includes administering a leptin antagonist (LepA) locally to the upper airways and/or to the lungs of the patient. Typically, the LepA is administered in an inhalable composition, such as, an aerosol.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for treatment of damaged lung tissue, e.g., lungs of a patient with a viral infection (e.g., coronavirus) and/or a bacterial infection and/or a parasitic pathogen or a patient whose lung tissue was damaged by exposure to a chemical, and a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Also provided is a method for protecting the brain from neuro-invasion and preventing inflammatory damage to organs remote from the lungs, by blocking cytokine synthesis in the lungs. The treatment includes administering a leptin antagonist (LepA) locally to the upper airways and/or to the lungs of the patient. Typically, the LepA is administered in an inhalable composition, such as, an aerosol.