The Role of Cytotoxic T-Cells in COVID-19: Potential Therapeutic Targeting
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Abstract
A novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have raised in Whuan in December 2019. This disease kept spreading rapidly until World Health Organization have declared a pandemic on COVID-19. Despite all the efforts made there are no definite treatments for this disease. Recent papers on pathophysiology of COVID-19 have shown possible mechanism of T-Cell exhaustion caused by virus is responsible for lymphopenia observed in these patients. PD-1/PD-L1 have a major role in T-Cell exhaustion so we have proposed targeting PD-1/PD-L1 using anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agent. Using anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents including Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab could potentially decrease T-Cell exhaustion and increases survival of COVID-19 patients. In order to overcome the shortcoming of this approach we have proposed using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) which can be highly efficient in targeting PD-1/PD-L1. Using CRISPR/Cas9 in this regard could be more efficient, feasible and economical and potentially lower side effects. In conclusion targeting PD-1/PD-L1 through approved medications or CRISPR/Cas9, in order to block their interactions, may remarkably prevent the cytotoxic lymphocytes functional exhaustion, especially CD8+ T-cells and help to decrease the mortality rate in COVID-19 patients. In addition, to evaluate the clinical outcome of using anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents or CRISPR/Cas9 system in COVID-19 patients, it is recommended to measure lymphocyte, CD8+ T-cells, NK cells and total T-cells count.
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| Issue | Vol 7, No 3 (2024) | |
| Section | Review Article | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/igj.v7i3.17876 | |
| Keywords | ||
| COVID-19 PD-1 PD-L1 anti-PD-1/PD-L1 CRISPR | ||
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