Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can manifest as acute respiratory distress syndrome and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Extensive data now indicate that immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection determine the COVID-19 disease course. A wide range of immunomodulatory agents...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Biomedicines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/5/1002 |
| _version_ | 1797501393428283392 |
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| author | Xuewen Deng Hiroshi Terunuma Mie Nieda |
| author_facet | Xuewen Deng Hiroshi Terunuma Mie Nieda |
| author_sort | Xuewen Deng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can manifest as acute respiratory distress syndrome and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Extensive data now indicate that immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection determine the COVID-19 disease course. A wide range of immunomodulatory agents have been tested for the treatment of COVID-19. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in antiviral innate immunity, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and antifibrotic activity are particularly critical for COVID-19 control. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 clearance rate, antibody response, and disease progression in COVID-19 correlate with NK cell status, and NK cell dysfunction is linked with increased SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility. Thus, NK cells function as the key element in the switch from effective to harmful immune responses in COVID-19. However, dysregulation of NK cells has been observed in COVID-19 patients, exhibiting depletion and dysfunction, which correlate with COVID-19 severity; this dysregulation perhaps contributes to disease progression. Given these findings, NK-cell-based therapies with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, antifibrotic activity, and strong safety profiles for cancers may encourage the rapid application of functional NK cells as a potential therapeutic strategy to eliminate SARS-CoV-2-infected cells at an early stage, facilitate immune–immune cell interactions, and favor inflammatory processes that prevent and/or reverse over-inflammation and inhibit fibrosis progression, thereby helping in the fight against COVID-19. However, our understanding of the role of NK cells in COVID-19 remains incomplete, and further research on the involvement of NK cells in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 is needed. The rationale of NK-cell-based therapies for COVID-19 has to be based on the timing of therapeutic interventions and disease severity, which may be determined by the balance between beneficial antiviral and potential detrimental pathologic actions. NK cells would be more effective early in SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevent the progression of COVID-19. Immunomodulation by NK cells towards regulatory functions could be useful as an adjunct therapy to prevent the progression of COVID-19. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:17:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bc5d1173e94148afbc2874384bd4b5bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9059 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:17:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomedicines |
| spelling | doaj.art-bc5d1173e94148afbc2874384bd4b5bc2023-11-23T10:09:38ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592022-04-01105100210.3390/biomedicines10051002Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19Xuewen Deng0Hiroshi Terunuma1Mie Nieda2Biotherapy Institute of Japan, Inc., 2-4-8 Edagawa, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0051, JapanBiotherapy Institute of Japan, Inc., 2-4-8 Edagawa, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0051, JapanBiotherapy Institute of Japan, Inc., 2-4-8 Edagawa, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0051, JapanCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can manifest as acute respiratory distress syndrome and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Extensive data now indicate that immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection determine the COVID-19 disease course. A wide range of immunomodulatory agents have been tested for the treatment of COVID-19. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in antiviral innate immunity, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and antifibrotic activity are particularly critical for COVID-19 control. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 clearance rate, antibody response, and disease progression in COVID-19 correlate with NK cell status, and NK cell dysfunction is linked with increased SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility. Thus, NK cells function as the key element in the switch from effective to harmful immune responses in COVID-19. However, dysregulation of NK cells has been observed in COVID-19 patients, exhibiting depletion and dysfunction, which correlate with COVID-19 severity; this dysregulation perhaps contributes to disease progression. Given these findings, NK-cell-based therapies with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, antifibrotic activity, and strong safety profiles for cancers may encourage the rapid application of functional NK cells as a potential therapeutic strategy to eliminate SARS-CoV-2-infected cells at an early stage, facilitate immune–immune cell interactions, and favor inflammatory processes that prevent and/or reverse over-inflammation and inhibit fibrosis progression, thereby helping in the fight against COVID-19. However, our understanding of the role of NK cells in COVID-19 remains incomplete, and further research on the involvement of NK cells in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 is needed. The rationale of NK-cell-based therapies for COVID-19 has to be based on the timing of therapeutic interventions and disease severity, which may be determined by the balance between beneficial antiviral and potential detrimental pathologic actions. NK cells would be more effective early in SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevent the progression of COVID-19. Immunomodulation by NK cells towards regulatory functions could be useful as an adjunct therapy to prevent the progression of COVID-19.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/5/1002SARS-CoV-2COVID-19NK cellimmune dysregulationimmunotherapy |
| spellingShingle | Xuewen Deng Hiroshi Terunuma Mie Nieda Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19 Biomedicines SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 NK cell immune dysregulation immunotherapy |
| title | Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19 |
| title_full | Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19 |
| title_short | Exploring the Utility of NK Cells in COVID-19 |
| title_sort | exploring the utility of nk cells in covid 19 |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 NK cell immune dysregulation immunotherapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/5/1002 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xuewendeng exploringtheutilityofnkcellsincovid19 AT hiroshiterunuma exploringtheutilityofnkcellsincovid19 AT mienieda exploringtheutilityofnkcellsincovid19 |