Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are the most abundant white blood cells in the circulation. These cells act as the fast and powerful defenders against environmental pathogenic microbes to protect the body. In addition, these innate inflammatory cells can produce a number of cytokines/chemokines/growth factors for actively participating in the immune network and immune homeostasis. Many novel biological functions including mitogen-induced cell-mediated cytotoxicity (MICC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), exocytosis of microvesicles (ectosomes and exosomes), trogocytosis (plasma membrane exchange) and release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been successively discovered. Furthermore, recent investigations unveiled that PMNs act as a double-edged sword to exhibit paradoxical activities on pro-inflammation/anti-inflammation, antibacteria/autoimmunity, pro-cancer/anticancer, antiviral infection/COVID-19-induced immunothrombotic dysregulation. The NETs released from PMNs are believed to play a pivotal role in these paradoxical activities, especially in the cytokine storm and immunothrombotic dysregulation in the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In this review, we would like to discuss in detail the molecular basis for these strange activities of PMNs.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity; ectosomes; exosomes; immune homeostasis; immunothrombosis; mitogen-induced cell-mediated cytotoxicity; neutrophil extracellular traps; polymorphonuclear neutrophil; trogocytosis.