Potential Benefits of Tryptophan Metabolism to the Efficacy of Tocilizumab in COVID-19
Maria Laura Belladonna, Ciriana Orabona
Abstract
Tocilizumab has been proposed as a means of opposing hyperinflammatory responses in intensive care patients with COVID-19. Here, we briefly discuss the potentially multiple, synergistic mechanisms whereby tocilizumab might exert therapeutic activity, mostly focusing on the production of tryptophan-derived catabolites that would result from blockade of IL-6 signaling, as contextualized to the cytokine storm occurring in COVID-19 patients.
Topics & Concepts
TocilizumabCytokine stormCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)BlockadeMedicineCytokineInterleukin 62019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)PharmacologyTryptophanBioinformaticsImmunologyVirologyInternal medicineChemistryBiologyReceptorBiochemistryRheumatoid arthritisOutbreakAmino acidInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseaseLong-Term Effects of COVID-19COVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesTryptophan and brain disorders