TLR2 Activation as a Marker of Severe COVID-19 and a Potential Therapeutic Target

Xianxian Mao; Yijia Wu; Xinyi Zhang; Tian Zhou; Houda Huang; Mingui Fu; Yisong Qian

doi:10.2174/0109298673327301241016063917

TLR2 Activation as a Marker of Severe COVID-19 and a Potential Therapeutic Target

Curr Med Chem. 2024 Oct 31. doi: 10.2174/0109298673327301241016063917. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xianxian Mao¹, Yijia Wu^{2

3

4}, Xinyi Zhang⁵, Tian Zhou¹, Houda Huang^{4

6}, Mingui Fu⁷, Yisong Qian^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Huankui Academy, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.
² Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Key Laboratory for Arteriosclerosis of Hunan Province, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China.
³ School of Pharmaceutical Science, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
⁴ Chongqing Research Institute, Nanchang University, Chongqing, 402660, China.
⁵ Department of Respiratory Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
⁶ Institute of Translational Medicine, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.
⁷ Department of Biomedical Sciences and Shock/Trauma Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Missouri Kansas City, 2411 Holmes Street, Kansas City, MO64108, USA.

PMID: 39484774
DOI: 10.2174/0109298673327301241016063917

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2-induced COVID-19 has been a serious public health problem, resulting in millions of lives lost over the previous three years. Although the direct infection caused by virus invasion is important for the pathobiology of COVID-19, the hyperinflammatory response and tissue injury are major contributors in critically ill patients. As a host sensor, toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) recognizes multiple pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), producing various inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cell death signals, which are central to the inflammatory pathology observed in COVID-19. The objectives of this narrative review are to summarize the role of TLR2 activation during SARS-CoV-2 infection and emphasize the importance of SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins in TLR2 activation. Additionally, we presented some compounds related to TLR2 regulation clinically or experimentally, which may provide new insights into targets for pharmaceutical discovery and development.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; TLR2; inflammatory response; therapeutic target.; viral proteins.