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Comparative Study
. 2021 Aug:97:107685.
doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107685. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Immunological and inflammatory profiles during acute and convalescent phases of severe/ critically ill COVID-19 patients

Qigao Chen  1 , Baodan Yu  1 , Yihao Yang  1 , Jiewen Huang  1 , Ying Liang  1 , Jing Zhou  1 , Lianzhong Li  1 , Xuechun Peng  1 , Bolin Cheng  1 , Yongping Lin  2
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Immunological and inflammatory profiles during acute and convalescent phases of severe/ critically ill COVID-19 patients

Qigao Chen et al. Int Immunopharmacol. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Background: The 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic poses a huge threat internationally; however, the role of the host immune system in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 is not well understood.

Methods: Cytokine and chemokine levels and characterisation of immune cell subsets from 20 COVID-19 cases after hospital admission (17 critically ill and 3 severe patients) and 16 convalescent patients were determined using a multiplex immunoassay and flow cytometry, respectively.

Results: IP-10, MCP-1, MIG, IL-6, and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in acute severe/critically ill patients with COVID-19, whereas were normal in patients who had reached convalescence. CD8 T cells in severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients expressed high levels of cytotoxic granules (granzyme B and perforin)and was hyperactivated as evidenced by the high proportions of CD38. Furthermore, the cytotoxic potential of natural killer (NK) cells, and the frequencies of myeloid dendritic cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells was reduced in patients with severe and critical COVID-19; however, these dysregulations were found to be restored in convalescent phases.

Conclusion: Thus, elicitation of the hyperactive cytokine-mediated inflammatory response, dysregulation of CD8 T and NK cells, and deficiency of host myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs, may contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis and provide insights into potential therapeutic targets and strategies.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cytokines /chemokines; Immune cell; Severe/critical infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparison of serum cytokine/chemokine levels (IFN-α, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and MIG) between acute and convalescent patients and healthy controls. *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of cells positive for CD38 among total CD4 and CD8 T cells from peripheral blood of acute SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, convalescent cases or healthy controls. *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Intracellular expression of Granzyme B and Perforin in CD8 T cells and NK cells in acute SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, convalescent cases or healthy controls. *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Comparison of the percentages of mDC and pDC in PBMC of acute SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, convalescent cases or healthy controls. *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, and *** P < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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