Mast cells (MCs) are innate immune cells that widely distribute throughout all tissues and express a variety of cell surface receptors. Upon activation, MCs can rapidly release a diverse array of preformed mediators residing within their secretory granules and newly synthesize a broad spectrum of inflammatory and immunomodulatory mediators. These unique features of MCs enable them to act as sentinels in response to rapid changes within their microenvironment. There is increasing evidence now that MCs play prominent roles in other pathophysiological processes besides allergic inflammation. In this review, we highlight the recent findings on the emerging roles of MCs in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and discuss the potential of MCs as novel therapeutic targets for COVID-19 and other non-allergic inflammatory diseases.

中文翻译：

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肥大细胞：COVID-19 及其他疾病的治疗靶点

肥大细胞（MC）是先天免疫细胞，广泛分布在所有组织中并表达多种细胞表面受体。激活后，MC 可以快速释放存在于其分泌颗粒内的多种预制介质，并新合成多种炎症和免疫调节介质。MC 的这些独特功能使它们能够充当哨兵，响应微环境中的快速变化。现在越来越多的证据表明，除过敏性炎症外，MCs 在其他病理生理过程中也发挥着重要作用。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了 MC 在 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 发病机制中的新作用的最新发现，并讨论了 MC 作为 COVID-19 和其他非过敏性炎症性疾病新治疗靶点的潜力。