tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2020 Dec 5;8(1)
faa588.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa588. eCollection 2021 Jan.
Thymosin Alpha 1 Mitigates Cytokine Storm in Blood Cells From Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients
Claudia Matteucci[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonella Minutolo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emanuela Balestrieri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vita Petrone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marialaura Fanelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vincenzo Malagnino[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Marco Ianetta[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Alessandro Giovinazzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Filippo Barreca[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Silvia Di Cesare[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Patrizia De Marco[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Martino Tony Miele[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nicola Toschi[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP], Antonio Mastino[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Paola Sinibaldi Vallebona[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP], Sergio Bernardini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paola Rogliani[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Loredana Sarmati[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Massimo Andreoni[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Sandro Grelli[SUP] 1 10 [/SUP], Enrico Garaci[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by immune-mediated lung injury and complex alterations of the immune system, such as lymphopenia and cytokine storm, that have been associated with adverse outcomes underlining a fundamental role of host response in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and the pathogenesis of the disease. Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) is one of the molecules used in the management of COVID-19, because it is known to restore the homeostasis of the immune system during infections and cancer.
Methods: In this study, we captured the interconnected biological processes regulated by Tα1 in CD8+ T cells under inflammatory conditions.
Results: Genes associated with cytokine signaling and production were upregulated in blood cells from patients with COVID-19, and the ex vivo treatment with Tα1-mitigated cytokine expression, and inhibited lymphocyte activation in a CD8+ T-cell subset specifically.
Conclusion: These data suggest the potential role of Tα1 in modulating the immune response homeostasis and the cytokine storm in vivo.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; Thymosin alpha 1; cytokine storm; enrichment analysis; immune modulation.
. 2020 Dec 5;8(1)
faa588.doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa588. eCollection 2021 Jan.
Thymosin Alpha 1 Mitigates Cytokine Storm in Blood Cells From Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients
Claudia Matteucci[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonella Minutolo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emanuela Balestrieri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vita Petrone[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marialaura Fanelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vincenzo Malagnino[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Marco Ianetta[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Alessandro Giovinazzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Filippo Barreca[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Silvia Di Cesare[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Patrizia De Marco[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Martino Tony Miele[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nicola Toschi[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP], Antonio Mastino[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Paola Sinibaldi Vallebona[SUP] 1 8 [/SUP], Sergio Bernardini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paola Rogliani[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Loredana Sarmati[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Massimo Andreoni[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Sandro Grelli[SUP] 1 10 [/SUP], Enrico Garaci[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33506065
- PMCID: PMC7798699
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa588
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by immune-mediated lung injury and complex alterations of the immune system, such as lymphopenia and cytokine storm, that have been associated with adverse outcomes underlining a fundamental role of host response in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and the pathogenesis of the disease. Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) is one of the molecules used in the management of COVID-19, because it is known to restore the homeostasis of the immune system during infections and cancer.
Methods: In this study, we captured the interconnected biological processes regulated by Tα1 in CD8+ T cells under inflammatory conditions.
Results: Genes associated with cytokine signaling and production were upregulated in blood cells from patients with COVID-19, and the ex vivo treatment with Tα1-mitigated cytokine expression, and inhibited lymphocyte activation in a CD8+ T-cell subset specifically.
Conclusion: These data suggest the potential role of Tα1 in modulating the immune response homeostasis and the cytokine storm in vivo.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; Thymosin alpha 1; cytokine storm; enrichment analysis; immune modulation.