Minjarez-Robles Laura Ileana, Arámburo-Gálvez Jesús Gilberto, Figueroa-Salcido Oscar Gerardo, Ornelas-Aguirre José Manuel, Ontiveros Noé, Flores-Mendoza Lilian Karem
Health Sciences Postgraduate Program, Department of Chemical, Biological, and Agricultural Sciences (DC-QB), Faculty of Biological and Health Sciences, University of Sonora, Navojoa 85880, Sonora, Mexico.
Family Medicine Unit, Number 1, National Northeast Medical Center, Mexican Social Security Institute, Ciudad Obregon 85130, Sonora, Mexico.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jun 5;13(11):1346. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13111346.
Inflammatory and angiogenic mediators play a key role in post-COVID-19 syndrome pathophysiology. These mediators might be of prognostic value for pulmonary function in this syndrome.
To determine interleukin-6, -12, and -17, macrophage inflammatory protein-1A (MIP-1A), the vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) gene expression levels, the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) plasma levels, and the association of clinical data with pulmonary function in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome with normal and abnormal spirometry results.
Demographic/clinical data and blood samples were collected (45 patients). Pulmonary function was evaluated (spirometry), and the gene expression levels of inflammatory and angiogenic mediators (IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, MIP-1A, and VEGF-A) were determined in PBMCs (qPCR). MMP-9 plasma levels were determined (ELISA).
Seventeen out of forty-five patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome had abnormal spirometry values, which were associated with arterial hypertension, pneumonia, previous hospitalization, and disease severity ( < 0.05). IL-6, IL-12, and VEGF-A gene expression was upregulated in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome compared with healthy controls. In patients with normal spirometry values, IL-17 and VEGF-A gene expression was upregulated ( < 0.05), but MIP-1A was downregulated ( < 0.05) (vs. the abnormal spirometry group). MMP-9 serum levels were increased in the normal spirometry group compared with the abnormal one ( < 0.05).
Post-COVID-19 syndrome has a complex immune pathophysiology, but potential inflammatory and angiogenic biomarkers, such as IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, MIP-1A, and VEGF-A, are differentially expressed in this syndrome and might be prognostic predictors of post-COVID-19 syndrome associated with pulmonary function alterations.
炎症和血管生成介质在新冠后综合征的病理生理学中起关键作用。这些介质可能对该综合征的肺功能具有预后价值。
确定白细胞介素-6、-12和-17、巨噬细胞炎性蛋白-1A（MIP-1A）、血管内皮生长因子-A（VEGF-A）的基因表达水平、基质金属蛋白酶-9（MMP-9）的血浆水平，以及新冠后综合征患者中临床数据与肺功能（肺量计检查结果正常和异常）之间的关联。
收集人口统计学/临床数据和血样（45例患者）。评估肺功能（肺量计检查），并在外周血单核细胞中测定炎症和血管生成介质（IL-6、IL-12、IL-17、MIP-1A和VEGF-A）的基因表达水平（定量聚合酶链反应）。测定MMP-9的血浆水平（酶联免疫吸附测定）。
45例新冠后综合征患者中有17例肺量计检查值异常，这与动脉高血压、肺炎、既往住院史和疾病严重程度相关（<0.05）。与健康对照相比，新冠后综合征患者中IL-6、IL-12和VEGF-A的基因表达上调。在肺量计检查值正常的患者中，IL-17和VEGF-A的基因表达上调（<0.05），但MIP-1A下调（<0.05）（与肺量计检查值异常组相比）。与异常组相比，正常肺量计检查组的MMP-9血清水平升高（<0.05）。
新冠后综合征具有复杂的免疫病理生理学，但潜在炎症和血管生成生物标志物，如IL-6、IL-12、IL-17、MIP-1A和VEGF-A，在该综合征中存在差异表达，可能是与肺功能改变相关的新冠后综合征的预后预测指标。
