Volume 31, No 2, Feb 2021

ISSN: 1001-0602 
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018 
impact factor 17.848* 
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)

Volume 31 Issue 2, February 2021: 229-232   |  Open Access

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Effective treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected rhesus macaques by attenuating inflammation

Shuaiyao Lu^1,2 , Jingjing Zhao³ , Jiebin Dong³ , Hongqi Liu¹ , Yinhua Zhu^4,5 , Honggang Li³ , Liping Liu³ , Yun Yang¹ , Shicheng Sun³ , Yifan Song³ , Yuan Zhao¹ , Ruiping She⁶ , Tuoping Luo^4,5 , Hongkui Deng^3,* , Xiaozhong Peng^1,2,*

¹National Kunming High-level Biosafety Primate Research Center, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
²State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Medical Primate Research Center, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
³School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University Health Science Center and the MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
⁴Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China
⁵Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Ministry of Education and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China
⁶Laboratory of Animal Pathology and Public Health, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
These authors contributed equally: Shuaiyao Lu, Jingjing Zhao, Jiebin Dong, Hongqi Liu, Yinhua Zhu, Honggang Li Correspondence: Hongkui Deng(hongkui_deng@pku.edu.cn)Xiaozhong Peng(pengxiaozhong@pumc.edu.cn)

Dear Editor,

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a significant public health crisis worldwide. Recent studies show that excessive inflammatory response is critical for SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and COVID-19 severity,1 which can lead to acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).2 One major factor for acute inflammation in SARS-CoV-2 infection is the inflammatory macrophages, which has been considered important for the production of large amounts of proinflammatory cytokines.3 Autopsy identified an intense infiltration of macrophages in the lung tissues of fatal COVID-19 patients.4 Furthermore, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) showed a higher proportion of macrophages presenting in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of severe COVID-19 patients.5 Consistent with studies of SARS-CoV-2, infiltration and accumulation of macrophages in the lung were also found in other coronavirus diseases.6 Depletion of macrophages protected mice from lethal SARS-CoV infection, highlighting the important roles of macrophages in coronavirus-induced symptoms.7 Therefore, targeting macrophages to regulate hyperinflammation in SARS-CoV-2 infection could be an effective strategy to treat COVID-19 patients.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-020-00414-4

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