Thymosin Alpha 1 Mitigates Cytokine Storm in Blood Cells From Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients

Overview

Journal Open Forum Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2021 Jan 28

PMID 33506065

Citations 18

Authors

Claudia Matteucci

Antonella Minutolo

Emanuela Balestrieri

Vita Petrone

Marialaura Fanelli

Vincenzo Malagnino

Marco Ianetta

Alessandro Giovinazzo

Filippo Barreca

Silvia Di Cesare

Patrizia De Marco

Martino Tony Miele

Nicola Toschi

Antonio Mastino

Paola Sinibaldi Vallebona

Sergio Bernardini

Paola Rogliani

Loredana Sarmati

Massimo Andreoni

Sandro Grelli

Enrico Garaci

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by immune-mediated lung injury and complex alterations of the immune system, such as lymphopenia and cytokine storm, that have been associated with adverse outcomes underlining a fundamental role of host response in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and the pathogenesis of the disease. Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) is one of the molecules used in the management of COVID-19, because it is known to restore the homeostasis of the immune system during infections and cancer.

Methods: In this study, we captured the interconnected biological processes regulated by Tα1 in CD8+ T cells under inflammatory conditions.

Results: Genes associated with cytokine signaling and production were upregulated in blood cells from patients with COVID-19, and the ex vivo treatment with Tα1-mitigated cytokine expression, and inhibited lymphocyte activation in a CD8+ T-cell subset specifically.

Conclusion: These data suggest the potential role of Tα1 in modulating the immune response homeostasis and the cytokine storm in vivo.

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