TY  - EJOU
AU  - Moradian, Negar 
AU  - Gouravani, Mahdi 
AU  - Salehi, Mohammad Amin 
AU  - Heidari, Arash 
AU  - Shafeghat, Melika 
AU  - Hamblin, Michael R. 
AU  - Rezaei, Nima 

TI  - Cytokine release syndrome: inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines as a solution for reducing COVID-19 mortality
T2  - European Cytokine Network

PY  - 2020
VL  - 31
IS  - 3
SN  - 1952-4005

AB  - Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reached pandemic proportions at the beginning of 2020 and continues to be a worldwide concern. End organ damage and acute respiratory distress syndrome are the leading causes of death in severely or critically ill patients. The elevated cytokine levels in severe patients in comparison with mildly affected patients suggest that cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurs in the severe form of the disease. In this paper, the significant role of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, and their mechanism of action in the CRS cascade is explained. Potential therapeutic approaches involving anti-IL-6 and anti-TNF-alpha antibodies to fight COVID-19 and reduce mortality rate in severe cases are also discussed.
KW  - Corona virus
KW  -  COVID-19
KW  -  cytokine release syndrome
KW  -  treatment

DO  - 10.1684/ecn.2020.0451