Project description:Aim/objective/introduction:Cytokine storm or cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is inevitable in severe and critically ill patients with novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This review aimed to discuss current therapeutic options for the management of CRS in COVID-19. Background:Cytokine storm is caused by the colossal release of proinflammatory cytokines [e.g., IL (interleukin)-2, IL-6, IL-8 TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-?, etc.] causing dysregulated, hyperimmune response. This immunopathogenesis leads to acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Targeting cytokine storm with the therapies that are already available in India with the support of published guidelines and consensus can assist in achieving a better outcome in COVID-19. Review results:We predominantly included published guidelines or consensus recommendations about the management of cytokine storm in COVID-19. From the existing literature evidence, it is observed that among the currently available agents, low-dose corticosteroids and heparin can be beneficial in managing cytokine storm. The use of serine protease inhibitors such as ulinastatin has been advised by some experts. Though therapies such as high-dose vitamin C and interleukin-6 inhibitors (e.g., tocilizumab) have been advised, the evidence regarding their use for cytokine storm in COVID-19 is limited. Therapies such as Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK) inhibitors and Neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1) antagonists are still in research. Besides, pharmaceutical treatments, use of blood purification strategies, and convalescent plasma may be life-saving options in some of the critically ill COVID-19 patients. For these therapies, there is a need to generate further evidence to substantiate their use in CRS management. Conclusion:Current management of COVID-19 is preventive and supportive. Different therapies can be used to prevent and treat the cytokine storm. More research is needed for further supporting the use of these treatments in COVID-19. How to cite this article:Mehta Y, Dixit SB, Zirpe KG, Ansari AS. Cytokine Storm in Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Expert Management Considerations. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(6):429-434.
Project description:Acute cardiac injuries occur in 20%–25% of hospitalized COVID‐19 patients. Herein, we demonstrate that human cardiac organoids (hCOs) are a viable platform to model the cardiac injuries caused by COVID‐19 hyperinflammation. As IL‐1β is an upstream cytokine and a core COVID‐19 signature cytokine, it was used to stimulate hCOs to induce the release of a milieu of proinflammatory cytokines that mirror the profile of COVID‐19 cytokine storm. The IL‐1β treated hCOs recapitulated transcriptomic, structural, and functional signatures of COVID‐19 hearts. The comparison of IL‐1β treated hCOs with cardiac tissue from COVID‐19 autopsies illustrated the critical roles of hyper‐inflammation in COVID‐19 cardiac insults and indicated the cardioprotective effects of endothelium. The IL‐1β treated hCOs thus provide a defined and robust model to assess the efficacy and potential side effects of immunomodulatory drugs, as well as the reversibility of COVID‐19 cardiac in- juries at baseline and simulated exercise conditions.
Project description:Severe COVID-19 may progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with high mortality risk. Its exact pathological mechanism, therapeutic obstacles and the clinical sequelae are critical and unresolved issues. Here, we reported a representative COVID-19 induced ARDS case experienced initially stable, then suddenly deteriorating up to final respiratory failure courses, until his death despite of lung transplantation. His lung pathology showed necrosis of parenchymal tissues, extensive immune cell infiltration and lung fibrosis. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed various immune cell populations were largely expanded in his lung, and manifested inflammatory/activated functions. We also showed that cell-crosstalk between lung macrophages and fibroblasts promoted pulmonary fibrosis through IL-1B and TGF-Β signaling pathways. Although SARS-CoV-2 RNA remained undetectable in his respiratory tract specimens including BALF at the later stage of his disease, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was definitely confirmed in his lung tissues. Thus, this case indicates the pathological mechanism of severe COVID-19 includes pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 persistence, deranged inflammation and the extensive lung fibrosis which set the barriers for effective treatments and indicate potential health complications for severe COVID-19 patients.
Project description:Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global outbreak and severely posed threat to people's health and social stability. Mounting evidence suggests that immunopathological changes, including diminished lymphocytes and elevated cytokines, are important drivers of disease progression and death in coronavirus infections. Cytokine storm not only limits further spread of virus in the body but also induces secondary tissue damage through the secretion of large amounts of active mediators and inflammatory factors. It has been determined that cytokine storm is a major cause of deaths in COVID-19; therefore, in order to reverse the deterioration of severe and critically ill patients from this disease, the cytokine storm has become a key therapeutic target. Although specific mechanisms of the occurrences of cytokine storms in COVID-19 have not been fully illuminated, hyper-activated innate immune responses, and dysregulation of ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2) expression and its downstream pathways might provide possibilities. Tailored immunoregulatory therapies have been applied to counteract cytokine storms, such as inhibition of cytokines, corticosteroids, blood purification therapy, and mesenchymal stem cell therapy. This review will summarize advances in the research of cytokine storms induced by COVID-19, as well as potential intervention strategies to control cytokine storms.
Project description:BackgroundAngiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) reducing inflammation and protecting lung and brain function, could be of therapeutic efficacy in COVID-19 patients.MethodsUsing GSEA, we compared our previous transcriptome analysis of neurons injured by glutamate and treated with the ARB Candesartan (GSE67036) with transcriptional signatures from SARS-CoV-2 infected primary human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) and lung postmortem (GSE147507), PBMC and BALF samples (CRA002390) from COVID-19 patients.ResultsHundreds of genes upregulated in SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 transcriptomes were similarly upregulated by glutamate and normalized by Candesartan. Gene Ontology analysis revealed expression profiles with greatest significance and enrichment, including proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine activity, the NF-kappa B complex, alterations in innate and adaptive immunity, with many genes participating in the COVID-19 cytokine storm.ConclusionsThere are similar injury mechanisms in SARS-CoV-2 infection and neuronal injury, equally reduced by ARB treatment. This supports the hypothesis of a therapeutic role for ARBs, ameliorating the COVID-19 cytokine storm.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) recently emerged in Wuhan, Hubei-China, as responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and then spread rapidly worldwide. While most individuals remain asymptomatic or develop only mild symptoms, approximately 5% develop severe forms of COVID-19 characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple-organ failure (MOF) that usually require intensive-care support and often yield a poor prognosis. SUMMARY:The pathophysiology of COVID-19 is far from being completely understood, and the lack of effective treatments leads to a sense of urgency to develop new therapeutic strategies based on pathophysiological assumptions. The exaggerated cytokine release in response to viral infection, a condition known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or cytokine storm, is emerging as the mechanism leading to ARDS and MOF in COVID-19, thus endorsing the hypothesis that properly timed anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies could improve patients' clinical outcomes and prognosis. Key Messages: The objective of this article is to explore and comment on the potential role of the promising immunomodulatory therapies using pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches to overcome the dysregulated proinflammatory response in COVID-19.
Project description:The newly emerging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, but has rapidly spread all over the world. Some COVID-19 patients encounter a severe symptom of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with high mortality. This high severity is dependent on a cytokine storm, most likely induced by the interleukin-6 (IL-6) amplifier, which is hyper-activation machinery that regulates the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway and stimulated by the simultaneous activation of IL-6-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and NF-κB signaling in non-immune cells including alveolar epithelial cells and endothelial cells. We hypothesize that IL-6-STAT3 signaling is a promising therapeutic target for the cytokine storm in COVID-19, because IL-6 is a major STAT3 stimulator, particularly during inflammation. We herein review the pathogenic mechanism and potential therapeutic targets of ARDS in COVID-19 patients.
Project description:The outbreak of the novel SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has developed into an unprecedented global pandemic. Clinical investigations in patients with COVID-19 has shown a strong upregulation of cytokine and interferon production in SARS-CoV2- induced pneumonia, with an associated cytokine storm syndrome. Thus, the identification of existing approved therapies with proven safety profiles to treat hyperinflammation is a critical unmet need in order to reduce COVI-19 associated mortality. To date, no specific therapeutic drugs or vaccines are available to treat COVID-19 patients. This review evaluates several options that have been proposed to control SARS-CoV2 hyperinflammation and cytokine storm, eincluding antiviral drugs, vaccines, small-molecules, monoclonal antibodies, oligonucleotides, peptides, and interferons (IFNs).
Project description:The global COVID-19 pandemic has oversaturated many intensive care units to the point of collapse, leading to enormous spikes in death counts. Before critical care becomes a necessity, identifying patients who are likely to become critically ill and providing prompt treatment is a strategy to avoid ICU oversaturation. There is a consensus that a hyperinflammatory syndrome or a "cytokine storm" is responsible for poor outcomes in COVID-19. Measuring cytokine levels at the point of care is required in order to better understand this process. In this Perspective, we summarize the main events behind the cytokine storm in COVID-19 as well as current experimental treatments. We advocate for a new biosensor-enabled paradigm to personalize the management of COVID-19 and stratify patients. Biosensor-guided dosing and timing of immunomodulatory therapies could maximize the benefits of these anti-inflammatory treatments while minimizing deleterious effects. Biosensors will also be essential in order to detect complications such as coinfections and sepsis, which are common in immunosuppressed patients. Finally, we propose the ideal features of these biosensors using some prototypes from the recent literature as examples. Multisensors, lateral flow tests, mobile biosensors, and wearable biosensors are seen as key players for precision medicine in COVID-19.
Project description:Highlights • Clinical picture generally manifests as “overlap syndrome” and leads to vicious circle.• Early identification of rising cytokine storm and multilevel course of treatment is imperative.• Adjunctive treatment improves the success in fight with consequences of CRS.• Recognition of epigenetic factors might lead to personalized approach. Cytokine storm is a form of uncontrolled systemic inflammatory reaction activated by a variety of factors and leading to a harmful homeostatic process, even to patient´s death. Triggers that start the reaction are infection, systemic diseases and rarely anaphylaxis. Cytokine storm is frequently mentioned in connection to medical interventions such as transplantation or administration of drugs. Presented mini-review would like to show current possibilities how to fight or even stop such a life-threatening, immune-mediated process in order to save lives, not only in COVID-19 patients. Early identification of rising state and multilevel course of treatment is imperative. The most widely used molecule for systemic treatment remains tocilizumab. Except for anti-IL-6 treatment, contemporary research opens the possibilities for combination of pharmaceutical, non-pharmaceutical and adjunctive treatment in a successful fight with consequences of cytokine storm. Further work is needed to discover the exact signaling pathways that lead to cytokine storm and to determine how these effector molecules and/or combination of processes can help to resolve this frequently fatal episode of in?ammation. It is a huge need for all scientists and clinicians to establish a physiological rational for new therapeutic targets that might lead to more personalized medicine approaches.