Blocking inflammation on the way: Rationale for CXCR2 antagonists for the treatment of COVID-19

Lars M Koenig; Daniel F R Boehmer; Philipp Metzger; Max Schnurr; Stefan Endres; Simon Rothenfusser

doi:10.1084/jem.20201342

Blocking inflammation on the way: Rationale for CXCR2 antagonists for the treatment of COVID-19

J Exp Med. 2020 Sep 7;217(9):e20201342. doi: 10.1084/jem.20201342.

Authors

Lars M Koenig¹, Daniel F R Boehmer¹, Philipp Metzger¹, Max Schnurr¹, Stefan Endres¹, Simon Rothenfusser¹

Affiliation

¹ Division of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.

Abstract

An exacerbated and unbalanced immune response may account for the severity of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2. In this Viewpoint, we summarize recent evidence for the role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and propose CXCR2 inhibition as a promising treatment option to block neutrophil recruitment and activation.

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MeSH terms

Betacoronavirus*
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
Humans
Inflammation
Pandemics*
Pneumonia, Viral*
SARS-CoV-2