Abstract 256: Biomarker Shift In Convalescent Heart Patients Recovering From Sars-cov-2 Infection

Abstract

Background: Infection of SARS-COV-2 in patients with heart disease has the ability to develop thrombosis leading to heart failure. The development of these thrombi is found in the small vessels of these hearts, mimicking similar traits to coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD). However, there are a number of patients with heart failure that fully recover from SARS-COV-2 infection without thrombus formation. Therefore, it was the purpose of this study to look at unique biomarkers that may potentially help diagnosis any long-term effects from SARS-COV-2 infection in patients with heart disease. Experimental Design: CMD (N=19) and convalescent SARS-COV-2 heart disease (N=14) patient serum samples were obtained from the Nebraska Cardiovascular Biobank and Registry. Samples were tested for biomarkers using a MesoScale Diagnostic (MSD) Cytokine Array as per manufacture directions. These markers included; Endothelin-1, NT-proBNP, UPAR, CRP, SAA, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-10, IL12-p70, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8 and TNF-α. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad and differences were determined using Student’s T-test. Results: The cytokines, NT-proBNP, CRP, SAA, sICAM-1, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-2, IL-4 and TNF-α demonstrated no significant difference between CMD and SARS-COV-2 patients. Significant increases were observed for UPAR (p<0.05), sVCAM-1 (p<0.05), IL-8 (p<0.05) and IL-12p70 (p<0.01) in the SARS-COV-2 patients compared to CMD. A significant decrease was observed for endothelial-1 (p<0.05) and IL-5 (p<0.05). Conclusions: Increased levels of UPAR, sVCAM-1, IL-8 and IL-12p70 would indicate significant inflammation and tissue remodeling following SARS-COV-2 infection. However, lower levels of endothelial-1 suggests these SARS-COV-2 patients are most likely not susceptible to microvascular blockage of vessels.