%A Belladonna,Maria Laura %A Orabona,Ciriana %D 2020 %J Frontiers in Pharmacology %C %F %G English %K COVID-19,Tocilizumab (TCZ),Tryptophan catabolism,IDO1 enzyme,Cytokine storm syndrome %Q %R 10.3389/fphar.2020.00959 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2020-June-19 %9 Mini Review %+ Dr Ciriana Orabona,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia,Italy,ciriana.orabona@unipg.it %# %! Tryptophan metabolism benefits in COVID-19. %* %< %T Potential Benefits of Tryptophan Metabolism to the Efficacy of Tocilizumab in COVID-19 %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.00959 %V 11 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1663-9812 %X Tocilizumab has been proposed as a means of opposing hyperinflammatory responses in intensive care patients with COVID-19. Here, we briefly discuss the potentially multiple, synergistic mechanisms whereby tocilizumab might exert therapeutic activity, mostly focusing on the production of tryptophan-derived catabolites that would result from blockade of IL-6 signaling, as contextualized to the cytokine storm occurring in COVID-19 patients.