Exploring potential biomarkers for predicting COVID-19 severity and outcome
AbstractIntroduction. The study of COVID-19 and its consequences remains an urgent task, as the risk of emergence of new dangerous strains of SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious agents because a similar mechanism of action is still relevant. The present study contributes to the understanding of the immune system function during COVID-19 and its results may be useful for practical public health care.
Аim – to determine the prognostic potential of sCD40L, MDC, FKN, IP-10 and VEGF in relation to the severity and outcome in COVID-19.
Material and methods. Serum samples were collected from 1614 patients with various severity of COVID-19, including 302 fatal patients. Levels of sCD40L, MDC, FKN, IP-10 and VEGF were determined in the samples by multiplex immunofluorescence analysis.
Results. In severe and fatal disease cases, MDC and sCD40L concentrations were significantly lower and IP-10 concentrations were higher than in cases with milder forms of COVID-19. The significance of differences in sCD40L levels disappears when analysing data from patients without comorbid load (Charlson index ≤ 2). FKN concentration on admission to hospital was significantly lower in those cases that developed a cytokine storm.
Conclusion. MDC and IP-10 levels can be used as prognostic markers of outcome in COVID-19. FKN level has prognostic potential concerning development of the cytokine storm in the early stages of the disease.
Keywords:COVID-19; cytokines; chemokines; «cytokine storm»; biomarkers
For citation: Sushentseva N.N., Popov O.V., Apalko S.V., Asinovskaya A.Yu., Mosenko S.V., Sarana A.M., Shcherbak S.G. Exploring potential biomarkers for predicting COVID-19 severity and outcome. Immunologiya. 2024; 45 (2): 212–20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33029/1816-2134-2024-45-2-212-220 (in Russian)
Funding. The study was supported by St. Petersburg State University, project ID: 95412780. The study was carried out in cooperation with the Core facility center Biobank.
Conflict of interests. The authors declare no conflict of interests.
Authors’ contribution. The study concept and design – Scherbak S.G., Sarana A.M., Apalko S.V.; material collection and processing – Asinovskaya A.Yu., Mosenko S.V., Sushentseva N.N.; statistical data processing – Popov O.S.; text writing – Sushentseva N.N., Popov O.S.; editing – Apalko S.V., Popov O.S., Sushentseva N.N.
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