Al-Ani Mena, Elemam Noha Mousaad, Hundt Jennifer Elisabeth, Maghazachi Azzam A
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine and the Immuno-Oncology Group, Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
Lübeck Institute for Experimental Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Infect Drug Resist. 2020 Sep 22;13:3243-3254. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S269797. eCollection 2020.
COVID-19 infection caused by the newly discovered coronavirus severe acute respiratory distress syndrome virus-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic issue across the globe. There are currently many investigations taking place to look for specific, safe and potent anti-viral agents. Upon transmission and entry into the human body, SARS-CoV-2 triggers multiple immune players to be involved in the fight against the viral infection. Amongst these immune cells are NK cells that possess robust antiviral activity, and which do not require prior sensitization. However, NK cell count and activity were found to be impaired in COVID-19 patients and hence, could become a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19. Several drugs, including glatiramer acetate (GA), vitamin D, dimethyl fumarate (DMF), monomethyl fumarate (MMF), natalizumab, ocrelizumab, and IFN-β, among others have been previously described to increase the biological activities of NK cells especially their cytolytic potential as reported by upregulation of CD107a, and the release of perforin and granzymes. In this review, we propose that such drugs could potentially restore NK cell activity allowing individuals to be more protective against COVID-19 infection and its complications.
由新发现的冠状病毒严重急性呼吸综合征病毒19型（SARS-CoV-2）引起的新型冠状病毒肺炎感染已成为全球大流行问题。目前正在进行许多研究以寻找特异性、安全且有效的抗病毒药物。在传播并进入人体后，SARS-CoV-2会触发多种免疫细胞参与对抗病毒感染。这些免疫细胞中包括具有强大抗病毒活性且无需预先致敏的自然杀伤细胞（NK细胞）。然而，研究发现新型冠状病毒肺炎患者的NK细胞数量和活性受损，因此，NK细胞可能成为新型冠状病毒肺炎的潜在治疗靶点。先前已有多项研究表明，包括醋酸格拉替雷（GA）、维生素D、富马酸二甲酯（DMF）、单甲基富马酸酯（MMF）、那他珠单抗、奥瑞珠单抗和干扰素-β等多种药物可增强NK细胞的生物学活性，尤其是通过上调CD107a以及穿孔素和颗粒酶的释放来提高其细胞溶解潜能。在本综述中，我们提出此类药物可能恢复NK细胞活性，使个体对新型冠状病毒肺炎感染及其并发症具有更强的抵抗力。
