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Information and products associated with cytokine storm in novel coronavirus research

Cytokine storms have been shown to be common pathologies in severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. 

Updated June 29, 2022

The pathologies and symptoms of COVID-19 have been shown to be highly heterogeneous, with many of the immunological determinants of disease progression and prognosis still unknown. Severe cases of COVID-19 typically present with high viral loads, respiratory distress, and pulmonary damage that correlate with increases in cytokine levels. Termed cytokine storm syndrome (CSS), excessive cytokine release is a key driver of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is thought to be the leading cause of COVID-19 mortality1.

For an overview of immune cell signaling and cytokine targets, download our interactive poster.

Download cytokine storm in COVID-19 poster.

Cytokine storm in COVID-19

Cytokines coordinate the body's response to infection and damage, triggering inflammation. However, in some cases, cytokines can be released in excessive or uncontrolled amounts, causing harm to the body. Cytokine storm syndromes can lead to vital organ failure, including of the cardiac, lung and renal systems, and result in death. Initial evidence from China demonstrated elevated levels of the cytokines IL-6, IL-2R, CRP and ferritin in severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection2-4. Further studies have since highlighted persistently raised levels of many additional cytokines, including TNF-alpha, IP-10, MCP-3, and IL-1RA in severe cases4, 5.

Researchers are analyzing potential treatments for the cytokine storm response seen in patients, of which dexamethasone has been shown as to be a cost-effective treatment. An alternative approach may be through targeting tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)6: an important cytokine in nearly all acute inflammatory reactions and a frequently elevated biomarker in the blood and tissues of COVID-19 patients7. Other targets that have been under investigation include TLR4, IFN, IL1, IL6, and CSF.


For an overview of the cytokine response in COVID-19 download our poster.

Our antibodies and proteins specific for the detection and analysis of human coronaviruses can be found here. 

If there is a product you need for COVID-19 research that is not listed here, please contact us and we may be able to help.


See a full range of cytokine products for your research

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Abcam’s products are intended for research use only, not for use in diagnostic, therapeutic or any other purposes.


​References

  1. Hojyo, S., Uchida, M, and Tanaka, K. et al. How COVID-19 induces cytokine storm with high mortality. BMC Inflammation and Regeneration. (2020) 40;37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41232-020-00146-3
  2. ​Chen L, Liu HG, Liu W et al. Analysis of clinical features of 29 patients with 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia. Chinese Journal of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases. (2020)  43(0):E005.
  3. Wenjun Wang Jr., Jianxing He, Puyi Lie, et al. The definition and risks of Cytokine Release Syndrome-Like in 11 COVID-19-Infected Pneumonia critically ill patients: Disease Characteristics and Retrospective Analysis. medRxiv (2020) https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.26.20026989
  4. Ruan Q, Yang K, Wang W., et al. Clinical predictors of mortality due to COVID-19 based on an analysis of data of 150 patients from Wuhan, China. Intensive Care Medicine (2020) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-020-06028-z
  5. Yang Y, Shen C, Li J, et al. Exuberant elevation of IP-10, MCP-3 and IL-1ra during SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with disease severity and fatal outcome. medRxiv (2020) https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.02.20029975
  6. Pederson SF and Ho YC. SARS-CoV-2: A storm is raging. J. Clinic. Invest. (2020) pii:137647.​ 

  7. Feldmann M, Maini RN, Woody JN et al. Trials of anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy for COVID-19 are urgently needed. Lancet. 2020 (published online Apr 9) doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30858-8. 

  8. ​Wang L, He W, Yu X et al. Coronavirus disease 2019 in elderly patients: characteristics and prognostic factors based on 4-week follow-up. J Infect. 2020; (published online March 30.) DOI:10.1016/j.jinf.2020.03.019

  9. Gerriets V, Bansal P, Khaddour K. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. Publishing, Treasure Island, FL2020

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The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, represents a major global threat to public health. Patient symptoms and responses to COVID-19 are highly heterogeneous, and the immunological determinants of poor prognosis remain unknown. Severe cases of COVID-19 present with high viral loads, respiratory distress and pulmonary damage that correlate with surges in patient cytokine levels, termed cytokine storm syndrome. 

Cytokine storm in COVID-19

​​​Cytokines coordinate the body's response to infection and trigger inflammation, but in some cases, as seen with COVID-19, they appear to be released in excessive or uncontrolled amounts. This cytokine storm can lead to vital organ failure, including of the cardiac, lung and renal systems, and result in death. Initial evidence from China demonstrated elevated levels of the cytokines IL-6, IL-2R, CRP and ferritin in severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection.1,2,3 

Further studies have highlighted persistently raised levels of the additional cytokines IP-10, MCP-3, and IL-1RA in severe patient cases of COVID-19.4 New research is rapidly accumulating around cytokine storms as a key biological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. 

Research to profile patient responses and advance our understanding is essential to aid in the development of effective diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic solutions for COVID-19.