COVID-19: A probable role of the anticoagulant Protein S in managing COVID-19-associated coagulopathy

Authors

Sabyasachi Chatterjee, LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans
Tanusree Sengupta, SSN College of Engineering, Kalavakkam
Samarpan Majumder, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow
Rinku Majumder, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-19-2020

Publication Title

Aging

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused monumental mortality, and there are still no adequate therapies. Most severely ill COVID-19 patients manifest a hyperactivated immune response, instigated by interleukin 6 (IL6) that triggers a so called "cytokine storm" and coagulopathy. Hypoxia is also associated with COVID-19. So far overlooked is the fact that both IL6 and hypoxia depress the abundance of a key anticoagulant, Protein S. We speculate that the IL6-driven cytokine explosion plus hypoxemia causes a severe drop in Protein S level that exacerbates the thrombotic risk in COVID-19 patients. Here we highlight a mechanism by which the IL6-hypoxia curse causes a deadly hypercoagulable state in COVID-19 patients, and we suggest a path to therapy.

First Page

15954

Last Page

15961

PubMed ID

32826388

Volume

12

Issue

16

Recommended Citation

Chatterjee, Sabyasachi; Sengupta, Tanusree; Majumder, Samarpan; and Majumder, Rinku, "COVID-19: A probable role of the anticoagulant Protein S in managing COVID-19-associated coagulopathy" (2020). School of Medicine Faculty Publications. 1957.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/som_facpubs/1957