ABSTRACT
Anti-proinflammatory cytokine therapies against interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-1 are major advancements in treating inflammatory diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis. Such therapies are mainly performed by injection of antibodies against cytokines or cytokine receptors. We initially found that the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG), a simple monosaccharide, attenuated cellular responses to IL-6 by inhibiting N-linked glycosylation of the IL-6 receptor gp130. Aglycoforms of gp130 did not bind to IL-6 or activate downstream intracellular signals that included Janus kinases. 2-DG completely inhibited dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis, a mouse model for inflammatory bowel disease, and alleviated laminarin-induced arthritis in the SKG mouse, an experimental model for human rheumatoid arthritis. These diseases have been shown to be partially dependent on IL-6. We also found that 2-DG inhibited signals for other proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and interferon -γ, and accordingly, prevented death by another inflammatory disease, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) shock. Furthermore, 2-DG prevented LPS shock, a model for a cytokine storm, and LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation, a model for acute respiratory distress syndrome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These results suggest that targeted therapies that inhibit cytokine receptor glycosylation are effective for treatment of various inflammatory diseases.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology , Deoxyglucose/pharmacology , Glycosylation/drug effects , Inflammation/prevention & control , Receptors, Cytokine/drug effects , Animals , Cells, Cultured , Cytokine Receptor gp130/antagonists & inhibitors , Cytokine Receptor gp130/metabolism , Cytokine Release Syndrome/prevention & control , Cytokines/metabolism , Inflammation/chemically induced , Janus Kinases/drug effects , Lipopolysaccharides , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Receptors, Cytokine/immunology , Receptors, Cytokine/metabolism , Receptors, Interleukin-6/antagonists & inhibitors , Receptors, Interleukin-6/genetics , Receptors, Interleukin-6/metabolismABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has highlighted the urgent need to rapidly develop therapeutic strategies for such emerging viruses without effective vaccines or drugs. Here, we report a decoy nanoparticle against COVID-19 through a powerful two-step neutralization approach: virus neutralization in the first step followed by cytokine neutralization in the second step. The nanodecoy, made by fusing cellular membrane nanovesicles derived from human monocytes and genetically engineered cells stably expressing angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptors, possesses an antigenic exterior the same as source cells. By competing with host cells for virus binding, these nanodecoys effectively protect host cells from the infection of pseudoviruses and authentic SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, relying on abundant cytokine receptors on the surface, the nanodecoys efficiently bind and neutralize inflammatory cytokines including interleukin 6 (IL-6) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and significantly suppress immune disorder and lung injury in an acute pneumonia mouse model. Our work presents a simple, safe, and robust antiviral nanotechnology for ongoing COVID-19 and future potential epidemics.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/therapy , Cytokines/antagonists & inhibitors , Nanoparticles/therapeutic use , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , Virus Internalization/drug effects , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , Animals , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Cell Membrane/chemistry , Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/antagonists & inhibitors , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Interleukin-6/antagonists & inhibitors , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Monocytes , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Pandemics , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/metabolism , Receptors, Cytokine/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2 , THP-1 CellsABSTRACT
The SARS-CoV-2 virus infects cells of the airway and lungs in humans causing the disease COVID-19. This disease is characterized by cough, shortness of breath, and in severe cases causes pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which can be fatal. Bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and plasma from mild and severe cases of COVID-19 have been profiled using protein measurements and bulk and single cell RNA sequencing. Onset of pneumonia and ARDS can be rapid in COVID-19, suggesting a potential neuronal involvement in pathology and mortality. We hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 infection drives changes in immune cell-derived factors that then interact with receptors expressed by the sensory neuronal innervation of the lung to further promote important aspects of disease severity, including ARDS. We sought to quantify how immune cells might interact with sensory innervation of the lung in COVID-19 using published data from patients, existing RNA sequencing datasets from human dorsal root ganglion neurons and other sources, and a genome-wide ligand-receptor pair database curated for pharmacological interactions relevant for neuro-immune interactions. Our findings reveal a landscape of ligand-receptor interactions in the lung caused by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and point to potential interventions to reduce the burden of neurogenic inflammation in COVID-19 pulmonary disease. In particular, our work highlights opportunities for clinical trials with existing or under development rheumatoid arthritis and other (e.g. CCL2, CCR5 or EGFR inhibitors) drugs to treat high risk or severe COVID-19 cases.