Transmembrane serine protease 2 and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 anti-inflammatory receptors for COVID-19/inflammatory bowel diseases treatment

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) refer to a subgroup of chronic, progressive, long-term, and relapsing inflammatory disorders. IBD may spontaneously grow in the colon, and in severe cases may result in tumor lesions such as invasive carcinoma in inflamed regions of the intestine. Recent epidemiological reports indicate that old age and underlying diseases such as IBD contribute to severity and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused serious morbidity and mortality worldwide. It has also been shown that the transmembrane serine protease 2 is an essential factor for viral activation and viral engulfment. Generally, viral entry causes a 'cytokine storm' that induces excessive generation of proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-2, IL-7, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ. Future research could concentrate on developing inflammatory immunological responses that are efficient to encounter COVID-19. Current analysis elucidates the role of inflammation and immune responses during IBD infection with COVID-19 and provides a list of possible targets for IBD-regulated therapies in particular. Data from clinical, in vitro, and in vivo studies were collected in English from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and the Cochrane library until May 2021.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel diseases; COVID-19; Transmembrane serine protease 2; Inflammation; Pro-inflammatory; Immunological responses

Core Tip: This article provides clinical evidence on synthetic or natural-based transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) inhibitors, which are able to reduce coronavirus disease 2019-induced inflammation and cytokine storms in inflammatory bowel disease patients. Hence, targeting TMPRSS2 and ACE2 could be noticed as a novel approach for inflammatory bowel diseases treatment.