PNAS: New study reveals that IL-6 signal blocking therapy can be effective in treating severe neo-crown pneumonia.

September 3, 2020 /--- As countries around the world race to develop the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, scientists are trying to understand how it causes a series of seemingly long-standing symptoms after an active viral infection.
in a new study, researchers from Osaka University in Japan and Yugano City Medical Center in Osaka identified an effective treatment for overactivation of fatal inflammatory responses in many patients with severe COVID-19.
study, published recently in the journal PNAS, is titled "IL-6 trans-signaling induces plasminogen activator resor-1 fromvascular endothelial cells in cytokine release syndrome".
images from Osaka University.
is a small group of proteins that enhance or suppress our body's immune response to diseases such as infection, trauma and cancer.
their main role is to stimulate inflammation and thus initiate the healing process.
problem is that overstating the inflammatory response can lead to a range of harmful complications, from asthma to severe autoimmune diseases.
one of these complications, called cytokine release syndrome (CRS), can lead to multiple organ failure or even death in patients who have an ultraimmune response to microbial infections or traumas.
, lead author of the paper, Sujin Kang of Osaka University, said,
Despite knowing which cytokines are involved, there is currently no specific immunotherapy for CRS, and treatment is limited to supportive care."
To better understand the molecular mechanisms of CRS morbidity, we first studied cytokine spectrum in 91 patients (three groups of patients) who were diagnosed with CRS associated with bacterial sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or burns.
" remarkable, these three groups of patients with elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and MCP-10, as well as a protein called PAI-1, which causes small blood clots (blood clots) in blood vessels throughout the body, including those in the lungs.
, the increase in PAI-1 levels is associated with more severe cases of pneumonia, which is a common cause of death in PATIENT-19 patients.
given that IL-6 is positively related to other cytokines and PAI-1 levels, the researchers concluded that IL-6 signals are critical to the emergence of infection or post-traumatic CRS and may play a role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19.
study of cytokine spectrum in patients with severe COVID-19 found that IL-6 increased in the early stages of the disease, leading to the release of PAI-1 from blood vessels," said Tadamitsu Kishimoto of Osaka University, co-author of the paper.
note that patients with severe breathing disorders with COVID-19 had significantly higher levels of PAI-1.
"Most notably, however, when patients with severe COVID-19 receive a human monoclonal antibody drug called Actemra, the drug blocks IL-6 signal transductivity, PAI-1 levels drop rapidly, and severe disease symptoms are alleviated.
, IL-6 signal blocking may be useful for the treatment of severe respiratory complications in CRS and COVID-19.
(bioon.com) Reference: 1.Sujin Kang et al. IL-6 trans-signaling induces plasminogen activator resor-1 fromvascular endothelial cells in cytokine release syndrome. PNAS, 2020, doi:10.1073/pnas.2010229117.2.Antibody blockade effective in treatment of severe COVID-19.