Vahid Asghariazar; Majid Eterafi; Somaieh Matin; Nasrin Fouladi; Rozita Abolhasani; Monireh Falsafi; Afshin Fathi; Elham Safarzadeh
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 (2019) clearly demonstrates an imbalanced immune response. Variations in the function and subtypes of dendritic cells (DCs) may have effects on immune responses in COVID-19 patients and contribute to immunopathology.Objectives: To assess the phenotype and frequency of Plasmacytoid ...
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Background: COVID-19 (2019) clearly demonstrates an imbalanced immune response. Variations in the function and subtypes of dendritic cells (DCs) may have effects on immune responses in COVID-19 patients and contribute to immunopathology.Objectives: To assess the phenotype and frequency of Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), Conventional DCs (cDCs), and double-positive DCs in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU and non-ICU compared to the healthy control group.Methods: The study included 10 healthy individuals and 25 COVID-19 patients. In the second week of their illness, Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the patients and labeled with targeted antibodies for HLA-DR, CD123, and CD11c. The samples were then analyzed using flow cytometry. The COVID-19 patients were divided into two ICU and non-ICU groups and were closely monitored throughout the study.Results: In comparison to healthy controls, COVID-19 patients exhibited a significantly lower pDCs ratio (P=0.04). Patients were categorized into two groups: (A) the ICU group (n=11; 44%) and (B) the non-ICU group (n=14; 56%). The frequency of pDC was significantly lower in ICU patients than in non-ICU patients (P<0.01). Although not statistically significant, ICU patients had a lower frequency of cDCs and double positive DCs compared to non-ICU patients. Additionally, a significant association between the age of COVID-19 patients and cDC levels was observed (p=0.049).Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 can evade attacks from the immune response by reducing the number of DCs and suppressing their function of DCs, ultimately resulting in weakened development of both innate and adaptive immunity.
Elham Safarzadeh; Vahid Asghariazar; Shohreh Pordel; Elham Baghbani; Asgar Fekri; Afsaneh Enteshari-Moghaddam
Abstract
Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized not only by fibrosis and vasculopathy but also by inflammation. Previous studies have demonstrated monocyte involvement in SSc development, suggesting a role for immune dysfunction in SSc pathogenesis.Objective: To investigate ...
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Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized not only by fibrosis and vasculopathy but also by inflammation. Previous studies have demonstrated monocyte involvement in SSc development, suggesting a role for immune dysfunction in SSc pathogenesis.Objective: To investigate the relationship between SSc’s clinical manifestations and altered levels of monocyte subpopulations.Methods: Twenty-six patients meeting the ACR/EULAR SSc criteria along with twenty healthy individuals as the control group, were enrolled in the study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from heparinized blood samples of both the SSc patients and the control group. Subpopulations of monocytes were assessed based on HLA-DR, CD14, and CD16 expression using multi-color flow cytometry. The one-way ANOVA, Student’s t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test were employed for normally and non-normally distributed data. The Spearman correlation test was utilized to identify correlations between the variables.Results: The SSc patients showed a significant increase in the number of circulating peripheral blood monocytes (p<0.001). The percentage of CD16+ monocyte subpopulations was higher in the SSc cases compared to the control group. A significant decrease in the ratio of classic to non-classic monocytes was observed in SSc cases (7.43%) compared to the control group (52.09%, p<0.001). No association was observed between monocyte subpopulations and clinical characteristics of SSC.Conclusion: Our results showed an increase in the level of CD16+ monocytes in patients with SSc compared to healthy individuals. Further investigation is required to determine the clinical significance of this alteration.
