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. 2020 Jun 11;24(1):331.
doi: 10.1186/s13054-020-03020-3.

Exploring pharmacological approaches for managing cytokine storm associated with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome in COVID-19 patients

Irma Convertino  1 , Marco Tuccori  2   3 , Sara Ferraro  1 , Giulia Valdiserra  1 , Emiliano Cappello  1 , Daniele Focosi  4 , Corrado Blandizzi  1   5
Affiliations

Exploring pharmacological approaches for managing cytokine storm associated with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome in COVID-19 patients

Irma Convertino et al. Crit Care. .

Abstract

Sars-CoV-2 complications include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which require intensive care unit admission. These conditions have rapidly overwhelmed healthcare systems, with detrimental effects on the quality of care and increased mortality. Social isolation strategies have been implemented worldwide with the aim of reducing hospital pressure. Among therapeutic strategies, the use of immunomodulating drugs, to improve prognosis, seems promising. Particularly, since pneumonia and ARDS are associated with a cytokine storm, drugs belonging to therapeutic classes as anti-IL-6, anti-TNF, and JAK inhibitors are currently studied. In this article, we discuss the potential advantages of the most promising pharmacological approaches.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cytokines; Interleukin-6; Janus kinases; Molecular targeted therapy; Sars-CoV-2; Tumor necrosis factor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cytokine storm and potential pharmacological targets in COVID-19-related ARDS and pneumonia. IL, interleukin; TNF, tumor necrosis factor, GCSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; JAK, Janus kinase; MCP, monocyte chemoactractant protein; MIP, macrophage inflammatory protein
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