Single-cell analysis of two severe COVID-19 patients reveals a monocyte-associated and tocilizumab-responding cytokine storm.
case_report · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32764665.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-17834-w and PMC identifier 7413381.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Several studies show that the immunosuppressive drugs targeting the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor, including tocilizumab, ameliorate lethal inflammatory responses in COVID-19 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Here, by employing single-cell analysis of the immune cell composition of two severe-stage COVID-19 patients prior to and following tocilizumab-induced remission, we identify a monocyte subpopulation that contributes to the inflammatory cytokine storms. Furthermore, although tocilizumab treatment attenuates the inflammation, immune cells, including plasma B cells and CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells, still exhibit robust humoral and cellular antiviral immune responses. Thus, in addition to providing a high-dimensional dataset on the immune cell distribution at multiple stages of the COVID-19, our work also provides insights into the therapeutic effects of tocilizumab, and identifies potential target cell populations for treating COVID-19-related cytokine storms.
Medical subject headings
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
- Betacoronavirus
- Coronavirus Infections
- Cytokines
- Monocytes
- Pneumonia, Viral