Gardin Chiara, Ferroni Letizia, Chachques Juan Carlos, Zavan Barbara
Maria Cecilia Hospital, GVM Care & Research, 48033 Cotignola (RA), Italy.
Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Ferrara, via Fossato di Mortara 70, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
J Clin Med. 2020 Aug 26;9(9):2762. doi: 10.3390/jcm9092762.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic viral disease originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The severe form of the disease is often associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and most critically ill patients require mechanical ventilation and support in intensive care units. A significant portion of COVID-19 patients also develop complications of the cardiovascular system, primarily acute myocardial injury, arrhythmia, or heart failure. To date, no specific antiviral therapy is available for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being explored for the management of a number of diseases that currently have limited or no therapeutic options, thanks to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and pro-angiogenic properties. Here, we briefly introduce the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and its implications in the heart and lungs. Next, we describe some of the most significant clinical evidence of the successful use of MSC-derived exosomes in animal models of lung and heart injuries, which might strengthen our hypothesis in terms of their utility for also treating critically ill COVID-19 patients.
2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）是一种大流行性病毒性疾病，于2019年12月在中国武汉起源，由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起。该疾病的严重形式通常与急性呼吸窘迫综合征（ARDS）相关，大多数重症患者需要在重症监护病房进行机械通气和支持。相当一部分COVID-19患者还会出现心血管系统并发症，主要是急性心肌损伤、心律失常或心力衰竭。迄今为止，对于感染SARS-CoV-2的患者尚无特异性抗病毒疗法。由于间充质干细胞（MSC）来源的外泌体具有抗炎、免疫调节和促血管生成特性，目前正在探索其用于治疗一些目前治疗选择有限或没有治疗选择的疾病。在此，我们简要介绍SARS-CoV-2的发病机制及其对心脏和肺部的影响。接下来，我们描述一些在肺和心脏损伤动物模型中成功使用MSC来源外泌体的最重要临床证据，这可能会加强我们关于其也可用于治疗重症COVID-19患者的假设。
