Role of IL-۴ in Cytokine Storm Syndrome due to COVID-۱۹ Infection

The ۲۰۱۹ novel coronavirus (the cause of COVID-۱۹) was announced as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on ۱۱th March ۲۰۲۰ (۱). COVID-۱۹ viral pneumonia is caused by a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus ۲ (SARS-CoV-۲), following the rapid outbreak from Wuhan, China, to all other parts of the world (۲). This virus is the third member of the human coronavirus family which leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after the SARS-CoV in ۲۰۰۳ and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in ۲۰۱۲ (۳). It seems that these highly contagious coronaviruses use the same immune-pathology mechanism linked to ARDS, originated from an excessive immune response, also called a “cytokine storm syndrome” (۴). This toxic immune overreaction is a type of systemic inflammatory response due to the marked release of various pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by immune effector cells (۵).