Yao Shifei, Luo Nanning, Liu Jiaoyang, Zha He, Ai Yuanhang, Luo Juan, Shi Shi, Wu Kaifeng
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zunyi Medical University Third Affiliated Hospital/The First People's Hospital of Zunyi, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.
Scientific Research Center, Zunyi Medical University Third Affiliated Hospital/The First People's Hospital of Zunyi, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.
J Inflamm Res. 2021 Sep 21;14:4785-4794. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S330356. eCollection 2021.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with the angiocentric inflammation and angiogenesis, yet the molecules involved in this process remain to be determined.
We did a cross-sectional study of a cohort of patients with COVID-19 in Zunyi, China between February 1 and March 30, 2020. Serum concentrations of PGRN were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients with COVID-19 at hospital admission and at discharge. In parallel, the serum levels of soluble adhesion molecules, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), P-selectin (sP-selectin), and E-selectin (sE-selectin) were assayed by a human adhesion molecule multiplex kit. The association between serum PGRN levels and other laboratory test results was analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis.
At baseline, the median serum PGRN levels in patients with COVID-19 were 94.8 ng/mL [interquartile range (IQR): 66.6-119.6 ng/mL], which was significantly elevated compared with those in healthy controls (46.3 ng/mL, IQR: 41.8-55.6 ng/mL). Moreover, the median serum sVCAM-1 levels were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients (1396.0 ng/mL, IQR: 1019.1-1774.8 ng/mL) than those in healthy controls (612.4 ng/mL, IQR: 466.4-689.3 ng/mL). However, the levels of sICAM-1, sP-selectin, and sE-selectin were not significantly elevated in patients with COVID-19 when compared to healthy controls. Further analysis showed that serum PGRN levels were significantly positively associated with sVCAM-1 (r= 0.675, = 0.008) and inversely with sICAM-1 (r= -0.609, = 0.021) and aspartate aminotransferase levels (r= -0.560, = 0.037) in patients with COVID-19 at hospital admission. In COVID-19 patients, serum PGRN and sVCAM-1 levels fell significantly after successful treatment.
The present study demonstrates elevated serum PGRN and sVCAM-1 levels in patients with COVID-19, which may provide clues as to the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the potential of PGRN and sVCAM-1 as biomarkers and investigate their role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）感染与血管中心性炎症和血管生成有关，但参与这一过程的分子仍有待确定。
我们对2020年2月1日至3月30日期间中国遵义的一组新冠肺炎患者进行了横断面研究。通过酶联免疫吸附测定法测定新冠肺炎患者入院时和出院时血清中颗粒蛋白前体（PGRN）的浓度。同时，使用人黏附分子多重检测试剂盒检测血清中可溶性黏附分子血管细胞黏附分子-1（sVCAM-1）、细胞间黏附分子-1（sICAM-1）、P-选择素（sP-选择素）和E-选择素（sE-选择素）的水平。采用Spearman相关性分析血清PGRN水平与其他实验室检测结果之间的关联。
基线时，新冠肺炎患者血清PGRN水平中位数为94.8 ng/mL[四分位间距（IQR）：66.6 - 119.6 ng/mL]，与健康对照组（46.3 ng/mL，IQR：41.8 - 55.6 ng/mL）相比显著升高。此外，新冠肺炎患者血清sVCAM-1水平中位数（1396.0 ng/mL，IQR：1019.1 - 1774.8 ng/mL）显著高于健康对照组（612.4 ng/mL，IQR：466.4 - 689.3 ng/mL）。然而，与健康对照组相比，新冠肺炎患者sICAM-1、sP-选择素和sE-选择素水平未显著升高。进一步分析显示，入院时新冠肺炎患者血清PGRN水平与sVCAM-1显著正相关（r = 0.675，P = 0.008），与sICAM-1（r = -0.609，P = 0.021）及天冬氨酸转氨酶水平（r = -0.560，P = 0.037）呈负相关。在新冠肺炎患者中，成功治疗后血清PGRN和sVCAM-1水平显著下降。
本研究表明新冠肺炎患者血清PGRN和sVCAM-1水平升高，这可能为新冠肺炎发病机制提供线索。有必要进一步研究评估PGRN和sVCAM-1作为生物标志物的潜力，并研究它们在新冠肺炎发病机制中的作用。
