Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- Zahra Bagheri-Hosseinabadi 1, 2
- Hamid Ostad Ebrahim 3
- Fatemeh Bahrehmand 4
- Gholamhosein Taghipour 5
- Mitra Abbasifard 6, 7
1 Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
2 Pistachio Safety Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
3 Pediatric Department, Medicine Faculty, Non-Communicable Disease Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
4 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
5 Department of Surgery, Ali-Ibn Abi-Talib hospital, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
6 Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Research Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
7 Department of Internal Medicine, Ali-Ibn Abi-Talib Hospital, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
Abstract
Background: The role of cytokine storm in the immunopathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been implicated. Objective: To determine the association of microRNA (miRNA)-10b and serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 in patients with COVID-19. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 33 COVID-19 patients and 29 healthy subjects. After RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, the transcript level of miR-10b was determined by Real-time PCR. In addition, the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 were measured in subjects using ELISA. Results: The patient group comprised of 33 patients with COVID-19 (62.4 ± 3.7 years old), 13 (39%) males and 20 (61%) females. In the control group, 29 subjects (56.6 ± 1.6 years old), 9 (31%) males and 20 (69%) females, were included. The expression of miR-10b was significantly downregulated in the peripheral blood of COVID-19 patients in comparison to the healthy controls (fold change= 0.12, p < 0.0001). The levels of IL-2 (p < 0.001) and IL-8 (p < 0.001) were significantly increased in the serum samples of COVID-19 patients compared to the healthy subjects. The expression level of miR-10b was correlated significantly with the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 as well as with the age of patients, ESR and CRP levels. Conclusions: miR-10b is downregulated in the COVID-19 patients and might result in increased levels of IL-2 and IL-8, hence contributing to cytokine storm.
Keywords
)