Immunoregulatory therapy strategies that target cytokine storms in patients with COVID-19 (Review)

Xianyao Wang; Zhixu He; Xing Zhao

doi:10.3892/etm.2021.9750

Immunoregulatory therapy strategies that target cytokine storms in patients with COVID-19 (Review)

Exp Ther Med. 2021 Apr;21(4):319. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.9750. Epub 2021 Feb 3.

Authors

Xianyao Wang^{1

2

3}, Zhixu He^{2

4}, Xing Zhao^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Research, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.
² National Joint Local Engineering Laboratory for Cell Engineering and Biomedicine Technique, Guizhou Province Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Key Laboratory of Adult Stem Cell Translational Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.
³ Department of Immunology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P.R. China.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou 563000, P.R. China.

Abstract

A cytokine storm is an uncontrolled, excessive immune response that contributes to the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Viral infections lead to the loss of negative feedback in immune regulation and an abnormal elevation of the levels of multiple cytokines. In COVID-19, this causes diffuse damage to alveolar functions and may culminate in multiple organ dysfunction. Immunoregulatory therapies target the cytokine storms induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, and include monoclonal antibodies, recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, interferon, mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy, thymosin, immunoglobulins and blood purification therapies. These approaches may be effective in the alleviation of COVID-19 symptoms. In this review, cytokine storms caused by SARS-CoV-2 infections are evaluated and discussed, and advances in immunoregulatory therapy strategies for patients with COVID-19 are reviewed.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; cytokine storm; immunoregulatory therapy strategies.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

Funding: This work was supported by the Non Profit Central Research Institute Fund of Chinese Academy of Medical Science (grant nos. 2018PT31048 and 2019PT310013) and the Special Grant for Central Government Supporting Local Science and Technology Development [grant no. (2019) 4008].