Bioinformatics analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection-associated immune injury and therapeutic prediction for COVID-19

Zhang, Haomin; Chen, Haoran; Zhang, Jundong; Chen, Ximeng; Guo, Bin; Zhi, Peng; Li, Zhuoyang; Liu, Geliang; Yang, Bo; Chi, Xiaohua; Wang, Yixing; Cao, Feng; Ren, Jun; Lu, Xuechun

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a highly contagious viral infection, without any available targeted therapies. The high mortality rate of COVID-19 is speculated to be related to immune damage. METHODS: In this study, clinical bioinformatics analysis was conducted on transcriptome data of coronavirus infection. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the complex immune injury induced by coronavirus infection provoked dysfunction of numerous immune-related molecules and signaling pathways, including immune cells and toll-like receptor cascades. Production of numerous cytokines through the Th17 signaling pathway led to elevation in plasma levels of cytokines (including IL6, NF-κB, and TNF-α) followed by concurrent inflammatory storm, which mediates the autoimmune response. Several novel medications seemed to display therapeutic effects on immune damage associated with coronavirus infection. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided insights for further large-scale studies on the target therapy on reconciliation of immunological damage associated with COVID-19.