Abstract
BackgroundChemokine levels in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have been shown to be markedly elevated. But the role of chemokines in mild COVID-19 has not yet been established. According to the epidemiological statistics, most of the COVID-19 cases in Shiyan City, China, have been mild. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of chemokines in mild COVID-19 patients and explore the correlation between chemokines and host immune response.MethodsIn this study, we used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect serum levels of chemokines in COVID-19 patients in Shiyan City. Expression of chemokine receptors and of other signaling molecules was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction.ResultsWe first demonstrated that COVID-19 patients, both sever and mild cases, are characterized by higher level of chemokines. Specifically, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) is expressed at higher levels both in severe and mild cases of COVID-19. The receptor of MCP-1, C-C chemokine receptor type 2, was expressed at higher levels in mild COVID-19 patients. Finally, we observed a significant negative correlation between expression levels of interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and serum levels of MCP-1 in mild COVID-19 patients.ConclusionHigher expression of MCP-1 in mild COVID-19 patients might be correlated with inhibition of IFN signaling. The finding adds to our understanding of the immunopathological mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and provides potential therapeutic targets and strategies.
Highlights
Chemokine levels in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have been shown to be markedly elevated
Interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) was upregulated in severe COVID-19 patients (199.2 pg/ mL ± 82.6 pg/mL), but we found no difference between mild patients (51.7 pg/mL ± 39.4 pg/mL) and healthy controls (37.1 pg/mL ± 3.1 pg/mL) (Fig. 1b)
Recent reports indicate that monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), IP-10, and IL-8 levels are higher in COVID-19 patients and even higher among those admitted to intensive-care unit (ICU) [10]
Summary
Chemokine levels in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have been shown to be markedly elevated. According to the epidemiological statistics, most of the COVID-19 cases in Shiyan City, China, have been mild. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of chemokines in mild COVID-19 patients and explore the correlation between chemokines and host immune response. An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread throughout the world [1, 2]. Excessive immune responses after infection, called a cytokine storm, have been found to be associated with extreme levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The direct cause of death from acute COVID-19 might be the damage to lungs and many other organs, resulting in multi-organ failure, caused by cytokine storm [5]
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