Affiliation:
1. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kufa, Kufa, Iraq
2. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Kufa, Kufa, Iraq
3. School of Medicine, IMPACT-the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Barwon Health, Geelong, Australia
4. Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
5. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Abstract
Background:
The characterization of new biomarkers that could help externally validate the diagnosis of COVID-19 and optimize treatments is extremely important. Many studies have es-tablished changes in immune-inflammatory and antibody levels, but few studies measured the soluble receptor for the advanced glycation end product (sRAGE), angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), calcium, and magnesium in COVID-19.
Objective:
To evaluate serum advanced glycation end-product receptor (sRAGE) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)2 and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and chest CT scan abnormalities (CCTA) in COVID-19.
Methods:
sRAGE, ACE2, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, C-reactive protein (CRP), calcium, magnesium, and albumin were measured in 60 COVID-19 patients and 30 healthy controls.
Results:
COVID-19 is characterized by significantly increased IL-6, CRP, IL-10, sRAGE, ACE2, and lowered SpO2, albumin, magnesium, and calcium. COVID-19 with CCTAs showed lower SpO2 and albumin. SpO2 was significantly inversely correlated with IL-6, IL-10, CRP, sRAGE, and ACE2, and positively with albumin, magnesium, and calcium. Neural networks showed that a combination of calcium, IL-6, CRP, and sRAGE yielded an accuracy of 100% in detecting COVID-19 patients, with calcium being the most important predictor followed by IL-6 and CRP. Patients with positive IgG results showed a significant elevation in the serum level of IL-6, sRAGE, and ACE2 compared to the negatively IgG patient subgroup.
Conclusion:
The results show that immune-inflammatory and RAGE pathways biomarkers may be used as an external validating criterion for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Those pathways coupled with lowered SpO2, calcium, and magnesium are drug targets that may help reduce the consequences of COVID-19.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.