Interleukin‑6 signaling blockade treatment for cytokine release syndrome in COVID‑19 (Review)

Chen,Jia-Jie; Zhang,Li-Na; Hou,Hu; Xu,Lingqing; Ji,Kunmei

doi:10.3892/etm.2020.9456

Interleukin‑6 signaling blockade treatment for cytokine release syndrome in COVID‑19 (Review)

Authors:
- Jia-Jie Chen
- Li-Na Zhang
- Hu Hou
- Lingqing Xu
- Kunmei Ji
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Affiliations: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Health Science Center of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, P.R. China, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518020, P.R. China, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, Guangdong 511518, P.R. China
Published online on: November 9, 2020 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.9456
Article Number: 24
Copyright: © Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

A severe immune response in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) can cause a potentially lethal unconstrained inflammatory cytokine storm, known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). The present study provides an overview of the biology underlying CRS and how targeted inhibition of interleukin (IL)‑6 signaling may improve outcomes and the survival of patients suffering from COVID‑19. Preliminary clinical results have indicated that antagonism of the IL‑6 receptor (IL‑6R), including with the FDA‑approved humanized monoclonal antibody tocilizumab, can improve the outcomes of patients with severe or critical COVID‑19 while maintaining a good safety profile. The available clinical data support the expansion of clinical trials using IL‑6R targeting inhibitors for severe and critical COVID‑19 treatment.

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