Secretory phospholipase II-A (shredder enzymes) and COVID-19

The recent SAR-CoV-2 pandemic, i.e., the COVID-19 outbreak affected the global community, with many people still recovering from it and a large number severely affected who needed urgent medical care and hospitalization. The development of respiratory disorders and organ failure is linked to the severity of this disease. To overcome this infection, the underlying mechanism linked to its severity needs to be understood. An enzyme, secreted phospholipase IIA (sPLA-IIA), which is exclusively involved in fatal inflammatory conditions, has been proposed to be a key marker in diagnosing COVID-19. The disease condition exposes interior plasma membrane anionic phospholipids to the outer leaflets. These phospholipids are hydrolyzed by sPLA-IIA, resulting in severe inflammatory conditions. The research carried out by various researchers has shown an elevated level of sPLA-IIA in critical patients when compared to healthy people. The fatality of COVID-19, the organ dysfunction, and failure of multiple organs has been suggested to be associated with hemolysis of cellular membrane by sPLA-IIA, which results in perturbed membranes, disrupted mitochondria, and activated leukocytes, which leads to amplification in inflammation. sPLA-IIA targeting and its inhibition could be a potent route for controlling SAR-CoV-2 infection severity. The exogenous sPLA-IIA extracted from snake venom has also been explored due to its potent antiviral activity against SAR-CoV-2 virus evident by experiments, which might help in developing a useful COVID-19 treatment route.