COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy decreases inflammatory cytokines: a randomized controlled trial.
Feben HabtehyimerXianming Joshua ZhuAndrew D ReddKelly A GeboAlison G AbrahamEshan U PatelOliver LaeyendeckerThomas J GniadekReinaldo E FernandezOwen R BakerMalathi RamEdward R CachayJudith S CurrierYuriko FukutaJonathan M GerberSonya L HeathBarry MeisenbergMoises A HuamanAdam C LevineAarthi ShenoyShweta AnjanJanis E BlairDaniel CruserDonald N ForthalLaura L HammittSeble KassayeGiselle S MosnaimBela PatelJames H PaxtonJay S RavalCatherine G SutcliffeMatthew AbinanteKevin S OeiValerie CluzetMarie Elena CordiscoBenjamin GreenblattWilliam RauschDavid ShadeAmy L GawadSabra L KleinAndrew S PekoszShmuel ShohamArturo CasadevallEvan M BlochDaniel HanleyAaron A R TobianDavid J SullivanPublished in: Microbiology spectrum (2023)
This study examined the role that cytokines may have played in the beneficial outcomes found when outpatient individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 were transfused with COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) early in their infection. We found that the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 decreased significantly faster in patients treated early with CCP. Participants with COVID-19 treated with CCP later in the infection did not have the same effect. This decrease in IL-6 levels after early CCP treatment suggests a possible role of inflammation in COVID-19 progression. The evidence of IL-6 involvement brings insight into the possible mechanisms involved in CCP treatment mitigating SARS-CoV-2 severity.