Platelet lysate for COVID-19 pneumonia—a newer adjunctive therapeutic avenue

Abstract

The linchpin for COVID-19 pathogenesis is the severe inflammatory process in the respiratory tract wherein the accumulation of excessive cytokines paves the way for a series of systemic hemodynamic alterations and mortality. The mortality rate is higher in individuals with co-morbidities and advancing age. The absence of a specific therapy is responsible for this uncontrolled spread and the significant mortality. This renders potential insight for considering biologics as a plausible option to repair and regenerate the affected lung tissue and pulverize the causative organism. The plausible role of megakaryocytes against invading microbes was not clearly understood. Platelet lysate is an acellular product consisting of regenerative molecules released from a cluster of platelets. It attenuates the changes caused by immune reactions in allogenic utility with the introduction of growth factors, cytokines, and proteins at supraphysiologic levels and thereby serves as a regenerative immunomodulatory agent to combat COVID-19. This platelet lysate can be used in nebulized form for such acute respiratory distress conditions in COVID-19 elderly patients. Platelet lysate may emerge as a pivotal player provided investigations pace up in this context. Here, we discuss how the platelet lysate can plausibly perquisite to relegate COVID-19. Undertaking prospective randomized controlled trials to prove its efficacy is the need of the hour in this pandemic scenario.

Human Platelet Lysate Induces Antiviral Responses against Parechovirus A3

“…The previous study found that platelet factor 4 (PF-4/CXCL4) was a potential antiviral platelet kinocidin to inhibit HIV in T cells [ 26 ]. Possible uses of platelets and platelet lysates for various viral infections or COVID-19 pneumonia treatment have recently been suggested since it acts as a regenerative immunomodulator against COVID-19 by introducing growth factors, cytokines, and proteins at supraphysiological levels to attenuate changes caused by immune responses in allogeneic effects [ 27 ]. These reports partly support our finding of hPL against PeV-A3 infection.…”

“…The platelet-mediated antiviral effect previously reported found that platelet kinocidin inhibits HIV in T cells [ 26 ]. In addition, possible uses of platelets and platelet lysates for various viral infections or COVID-19 pneumonia treatment have recently been suggested [ 27 ].…”

Platelet-Released Factors: Their Role in Viral Disease and Applications for Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Therapy

“…Recently, PRP therapy has also been explored for the treatment of viral diseases, such as BK virus induced hemorrhagic cystitis, severe COVID-19, and for veterinary use in the treatment of ulcers caused by feline herpes virus-1 or canine herpes virus [148][149][150]. Another experimental platelet-based therapy is human platelet lysate (HPL), which involves the dissociation of platelet membranes to reveal various platelet factors, which has been used as an experimental therapy for COVID-19 [151][152][153][154]. This illustrates that the vesicle contents themselves are of therapeutic interest in treating viral diseases.…”

Relationship between gene expression patterns from nasopharyngeal swabs and serum biomarkers in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, following treatment with the neutralizing monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab

“…The medical and scientific communities continue to investigate the systemic, inflammatory nature of COVID-19 infection as a prognostic measure of disease severity, in order to fully comprehend the virulence of the causative agent of COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These investigations have been expedited by the emergence and prevalence of viral variants [2][3][4] and have prompted the rapid development and analysis of targeted therapeutic treatment options for patients suffering from advanced stages of COVID-19 infection and the resultant dysregulated immune responses [5][6][7][8][9][10].…”