Eur Cytokine Netw . Therapeutic targeting of interleukin-6 for the treatment of COVID-19

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Eur Cytokine Netw


. 2020 Dec 3.
doi: 10.1684/ecn.2020.0453. Online ahead of print.
Therapeutic targeting of interleukin-6 for the treatment of COVID-19


Yao Wang ¹ , Chen Liu ² , Xiaolong Miao ² , Deqiang Kong ² , Yingli Zhao ³ , Weihua Gong ² , Xianfeng Ding ¹



Affiliations

• PMID: 33270024
• DOI: 10.1684/ecn.2020.0453

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in China and has spread worldwide with a significant rate of infection. Considering the elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in COVID-19, it is suggested that cytokine storms play a critical role in its pathogenesis, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, there is no specific drug for preventing the cytokine release syndrome (CRS) caused by COVID-19. Indeed, interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been highlighted for its many biological functions, such as immune regulation, inflammatory response, and metabolism. Therapeutic blockade of the IL-6 signaling pathway is expected to reduce the excessive immune reponse observed in COVID-19. Currently, the IL-6 receptor antagonists tocilizumab and sarilumab, have been adopted for preventing CRS during the progression of COVID-19, and remarkable beneficial effects were observed by using these humanized monoclonal antibodies. Based on the pathogenesis of COVID-19, we reviewed the biological mechanism of IL-6 blockade in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and evaluated its clinical applications.

Keywords: COVID-19; cytokine storm; interleukin-6; monoclonal antibody.