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Severe COVID-19 and aging: are monocytes the key?
Geroscience. 2020 08; 42(4):1051-1061.G

Abstract

The ongoing pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a disproportionate number of severe cases and deaths in older adults. Severe SARS-CoV-2-associated disease (coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 and is characterized by cytokine storm, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and in some cases by systemic inflammation-related pathology. Currently, our knowledge of the determinants of severe COVID-19 is primarily observational. Here, I review emerging evidence to argue that monocytes, a circulating innate immune cell, are principal players in cytokine storm and associated pathologies in COVID-19. I also describe changes in monocyte function and phenotype that are characteristic of both aging and severe COVID-19, which suggests a potential mechanism underlying increased morbidity and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults. The innate immune system is therefore a potentially important target for therapeutic treatment of COVID-19, but experimental studies are needed, and SARS-CoV-2 presents unique challenges for pre-clinical and mechanistic studies in vivo. The immediate establishment of colonies of SARS-CoV-2-susceptible animal models for aging studies, as well as strong collaborative efforts in the geroscience community, will be required in order to develop the therapies needed to combat severe COVID-19 in older adult populations.

Links

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Pence BD
School of Health Studies, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA. bdpence@memphis.edu. Center for Nutraceutical and Dietary Supplement Research, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA. bdpence@memphis.edu. University of Memphis, 304 Elma Roane Fieldhouse, 495 Zach H. Curlin St., Memphis, TN, 38152, USA. bdpence@memphis.edu.

MeSH

Age FactorsBetacoronavirusCOVID-19Coronavirus InfectionsHumansImmunity, CellularMonocytesPandemicsPneumonia, ViralRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

32556942

Citation

Pence, Brandt D.. "Severe COVID-19 and Aging: Are Monocytes the Key?" GeroScience, vol. 42, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1051-1061.
Pence BD. Severe COVID-19 and aging: are monocytes the key? Geroscience. 2020;42(4):1051-1061.
Pence, B. D. (2020). Severe COVID-19 and aging: are monocytes the key? GeroScience, 42(4), 1051-1061. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-020-00213-0
Pence BD. Severe COVID-19 and Aging: Are Monocytes the Key. Geroscience. 2020;42(4):1051-1061. PubMed PMID: 32556942.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Severe COVID-19 and aging: are monocytes the key? A1 - Pence,Brandt D, Y1 - 2020/06/15/ PY - 2020/04/26/received PY - 2020/06/03/accepted PY - 2020/6/20/pubmed PY - 2020/8/18/medline PY - 2020/6/20/entrez KW - Aging KW - Cytokine storm KW - Inflammaging KW - Macrophage KW - Monocyte KW - SARS-CoV-2 SP - 1051 EP - 1061 JF - GeroScience JO - Geroscience VL - 42 IS - 4 N2 - The ongoing pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a disproportionate number of severe cases and deaths in older adults. Severe SARS-CoV-2-associated disease (coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 and is characterized by cytokine storm, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and in some cases by systemic inflammation-related pathology. Currently, our knowledge of the determinants of severe COVID-19 is primarily observational. Here, I review emerging evidence to argue that monocytes, a circulating innate immune cell, are principal players in cytokine storm and associated pathologies in COVID-19. I also describe changes in monocyte function and phenotype that are characteristic of both aging and severe COVID-19, which suggests a potential mechanism underlying increased morbidity and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults. The innate immune system is therefore a potentially important target for therapeutic treatment of COVID-19, but experimental studies are needed, and SARS-CoV-2 presents unique challenges for pre-clinical and mechanistic studies in vivo. The immediate establishment of colonies of SARS-CoV-2-susceptible animal models for aging studies, as well as strong collaborative efforts in the geroscience community, will be required in order to develop the therapies needed to combat severe COVID-19 in older adult populations. SN - 2509-2723 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/32556942/Severe_COVID_19_and_aging:_are_monocytes_the_key DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -