The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as one of the biggest global health threats worldwide. As of October 2020, over 44 million confirmed cases and more than 1,160,000 deaths have been reported globally, and the toll is likely to be much higher before the pandemic is over. There are currently little therapeutic options available and new potential targets are intensively investigated. Recently, Bruton Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) has emerged as an interesting candidate. Elevated levels of BTK activity have been reported in blood monocytes from patients with severe COVID-19, compared to those from healthy volunteers. Importantly, various studies confirmed empirically that administration of BTK inhibitors (Acalabrutinib and Ibrutinib) decreased the duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality rate for hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. Herein, we review the current information regarding the role of BTK in SARS-CoV-2 infections and the suitability of its inhibitors as drugs to treat COVID-19. Implications: The use of BTK inhibitors in the management of COVID-19 shows promise in reducing the severity of the immune response to the infection and thus mortality. However, BTK inhibition may be contributing in other ways to inhibit the effects of the virus and this will need to be carefully studied.

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布鲁顿酪氨酸激酶 (BTK) 作为 COVID-19 治疗靶点的相关性

2019 年新型冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的爆发已成为全球最大的全球健康威胁之一。截至 2020 年 10 月，全球已报告的确诊病例超过 4400 万，死亡人数超过 116 万，在大流行结束之前，死亡人数可能会更高。目前可用的治疗选择很少，正在深入研究新的潜在目标。最近，布鲁顿酪氨酸激酶 (BTK) 成为一个有趣的候选者。据报道，与健康志愿者相比，严重 COVID-19 患者的血液单核细胞中 BTK 活性水平升高。重要的，各种研究凭经验证实，使用 BTK 抑制剂（Acalabrutinib 和 Ibrutinib）可降低重症 COVID-19 住院患者的机械通气持续时间和死亡率。在此，我们回顾了有关 BTK 在 SARS-CoV-2 感染中的作用及其抑制剂作为治疗 COVID-19 药物的适用性的当前信息。意义：在 COVID-19 的管理中使用 BTK 抑制剂显示出降低对感染的免疫反应的严重程度以及死亡率的前景。然而，BTK 抑制可能以其他方式抑制病毒的影响，这需要仔细研究。我们回顾了有关 BTK 在 SARS-CoV-2 感染中的作用及其抑制剂作为治疗 COVID-19 药物的适用性的当前信息。意义：在 COVID-19 的管理中使用 BTK 抑制剂显示出降低对感染的免疫反应的严重程度以及死亡率的前景。然而，BTK 抑制可能以其他方式抑制病毒的影响，这需要仔细研究。我们回顾了有关 BTK 在 SARS-CoV-2 感染中的作用及其抑制剂作为治疗 COVID-19 药物的适用性的当前信息。意义：在 COVID-19 的管理中使用 BTK 抑制剂显示出降低对感染的免疫反应的严重程度以及死亡率的前景。然而，BTK 抑制可能以其他方式抑制病毒的影响，这需要仔细研究。