Therapeutic Approaches for COVID-19 Based on the Interferon-Mediated Immune Responses

Background: As the outbreak of COVID-19 has accelerated, an urgent need for finding strategies to combat the virus is growing. Thus, gaining more knowledge on the pathogenicity mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, i.e. the causing agent of COVID-19, and its interaction with the immune system is of utmost importance. Although this novel virus is not well known yet, its structural and genetic similarity with SARS-CoV as well as the comparable pattern of age-mortality relations suggest that some previous findings on SARS could be applicable for COVID-19. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the most important signaling pathways activated by coronaviruses to better understand the viral pathogenesis and host immune responses. Method: Here, a systems biological study was conducted on a SARS database. It was followed by a literature review on the cognate subject. Results: It was proved that interferons may possess a crucial role in the defense against coronavirus diseases. The literature supported the validity of the employed approach and the notion that interferon induction could play a key role in the body defense against coronavirus infections. Conclusion: Altogether, administration of interferons or interferon-inducing agents in a prophylactic manner or at the early stages of the disease, could mimic the effective antiviral responses against SARS-CoV-2 and reduce the disease severity. At later stages of the disease, however, the balance of the immune reactions would be disrupted and the responses would shift toward immunopathogenic over-reactions, which could be exacerbated by the interferon usage. Moderating the activity of the immune system by anti-inflammatory agents, might be the optimum approach in such conditions.