IL-8 as a potential in-vitro severity biomarker for dengue disease

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Immunology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Dengue virus infections present varying severity, influenced by serotype and co-infection status.
• Understanding how single versus multiple dengue serotype infections impact disease severity is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the in-vitro severity of single dengue virus infections versus concurrent infections.
• To identify potential biomarkers for dengue severity using an in-vitro model.

Main Methods:

• Human mast cells (HMC-1.1) were infected with single or multiple dengue serotypes.
• Supernatants from infected HMC-1.1 were applied to human umbilical cord vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC).
• Endothelial permeability was assessed via transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER); cytokine levels (IL-8, IL-10, CXCL10, sTRAIL) were measured via ELISA.

Main Results:

• Single dengue virus infections led to significantly lower TEER values compared to concurrent infections on days 2 and 3.
• This indicates that single infections increase endothelial permeability more than concurrent infections.
• Interleukin-8 (IL-8) demonstrated a moderate correlation with endothelial permeability, suggesting its utility as a severity biomarker.

Conclusions:

• The in-vitro model replicates some aspects of dengue patient conditions.
• This model can be utilized to evaluate dengue infection severity and potential biomarkers.
• Further research can explore IL-8 as a reliable in-vitro biomarker for dengue severity.