Capra Anna Paola, Crupi Lelio, Pantò Giuseppe, Repici Alberto, Calapai Fabrizio, Squeri Raffaele, Ardizzone Alessio, Esposito Emanuela
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres, 98166 Messina, Italy.
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 17;24(18):14195. doi: 10.3390/ijms241814195.
Currently, biological markers for COVID-19 disease severity still constitute the main goal of enhancing an efficient treatment to reduce critical consequences such as an abnormal systemic inflammatory response. In this regard, the latest research has shown that Pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a highly conserved innate immunity protein, may serve as a valuable biochemical marker. Based on this evidence, we conducted a case-control study to compare the PTX3 serum levels and several immune-inflammatory mediators of 80 healthcare workers who were subdivided into subjects who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 ( = 40) and individuals who were never infected ( = 40). Using a commercially available Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), PTX3 and various immune-inflammatory protein levels were assessed in serum samples, while also considering possible variables (e.g., gender-related differences). We have shown elevated levels of PTX3 and other inflammatory proteins in previously infected COVID-19-positive subjects ( < 0.001). Moreover, the obtained data also indicate a degree of severity influenced by gender, as shown by the subgroup analysis, in which PTX3 expression was more pronounced in previously COVID-19-positive males ( < 0.001) than in females ( < 0.05) compared to the respective controls. In addition, our data further validate, through a direct comparison of previously COVID-19-positive subjects, greater pro-inflammatory levels in males than in females. Overall, our results may support the validity of PTX3 as a systemic biomarker in prolonged systemic inflammatory responses in the context of COVID-19. Thus, PTX3 modulation could constitute an effective therapeutic strategy for improving the recovery from COVID-19 and its systemic long-term consequences.
目前,用于评估新冠病毒疾病严重程度的生物标志物仍是加强有效治疗以减少诸如异常全身炎症反应等严重后果的主要目标。在这方面,最新研究表明,高度保守的固有免疫蛋白——五聚体蛋白3(PTX3)可能是一种有价值的生化标志物。基于这一证据,我们开展了一项病例对照研究,比较80名医护人员的PTX3血清水平和几种免疫炎症介质,这些医护人员被分为曾感染过严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)的受试者(n = 40)和从未感染过的个体(n = 40)。使用市售的酶联免疫吸附测定(ELISA)法,对血清样本中的PTX3和各种免疫炎症蛋白水平进行评估,同时还考虑了可能的变量(如性别差异)。我们发现,曾感染新冠病毒呈阳性的受试者中PTX3和其他炎症蛋白水平升高(P < 0.001)。此外,亚组分析显示,所获得的数据还表明严重程度受性别影响,与各自的对照组相比,曾感染新冠病毒呈阳性的男性中PTX3表达比女性更明显(男性P < 0.001,女性P < 0.05)。此外,通过对曾感染新冠病毒呈阳性的受试者进行直接比较,我们的数据进一步证实男性的促炎水平高于女性。总体而言,我们的结果可能支持PTX3作为新冠病毒感染背景下长期全身炎症反应的系统生物标志物的有效性。因此,调节PTX3可能构成一种有效的治疗策略,以促进新冠病毒感染的康复及其全身长期后果的改善。
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