Quantitative Insight into Immunopathology of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Abstract

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which initiated as an endemic from China, converted into a pandemic disease worldwide within a couple of months' time. This has led researchers from all over the world to come together to find and develop possible curative or preventive strategies, including vaccine development, drug repurposing, plasma therapy, drug discovery, and cytokine-based therapies. Herein, we are providing, a summarized overview of immunopathology of the SARS-CoV-2 along with various therapeutic strategies undertaken to COVID-19 with a vision for their possible outcome. High levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-7, G-CSF, IP-10, TNF-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and IL-2 in severe cases of COVID-19 have been observed. Immune responses play significant roles in the determination of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Thus, exploring the underlying mechanism of the immune system response to SARS-CoV-2 infection would help in the prediction of disease course and selection of intensive care and therapeutic strategy. As an effort toward developing possible therapeutics for COVID-19, we highlighted different types of vaccines, which are under clinical trials, and also discussed the impact of genome variability on efficacy of vaccine under development.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; complement system; cytokine storm; immunopathology; vaccine development.