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Updated: Sep 22, 2025
Immunometabolic Circuits in Infection for Advancing Host Directed Therapies
Published on: September 13, 2024
Gender affects IL-23 serum levels in the hospitalized COVID-19 infected patients
Mitra Abbasifard1,2, Mohammad Kazemi Arababadi1,3, Fatemeh Bahrehmand2,4
1Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Research Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences Rafsanjan, Iran.
Insights
Cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients was investigated. Serum levels of IL-17A, IL-23, and CCL3 did not significantly differ between patients and controls, suggesting they may not drive inflammation in this group.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Cytokine storm is a severe complication of COVID-19.
- Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), IL-23, and Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3) roles in COVID-19 cytokine storm require clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum levels of IL-17A, IL-23, and CCL3 in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- To compare these levels with healthy controls and analyze influencing factors like gender, age, and comorbidities.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 30 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 30 healthy controls.
- Serum cytokine levels (IL-17A, IL-23, CCL3) measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).
Main Results:
- No significant difference in serum IL-17A, IL-23, or CCL3 levels between COVID-19 patients and healthy controls.
- Male COVID-19 patients exhibited higher serum IL-23 levels compared to female patients.
- Age, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and lung involvement did not affect the measured cytokine levels.
Conclusions:
- IL-17A, IL-23, and CCL3 do not appear to be major drivers of pro-inflammatory responses in Iranian hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- Gender may influence IL-23 production in COVID-19, warranting further investigation.
Abstract:
Cytokine storm is a main complication in the hospitalized patients, who are infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The pro-inflammatory cytokines are the main causes of the cytokine storm, however, the roles played by IL-17A, IL-23 and CCL3 are yet to be clarified completely. This prospective study was aimed to explore serum levels of these cytokines in the hospitalized patients infected by COVID-19. Serum levels of IL-17A, IL-23 and CCL3 were measured in 30 COVID-19 infected patients in parallel with 30 healthy controls using ELISA technique. Although serum levels of IL-17A, IL-23 and CCL3 did not alter in the patients in comparison to healthy controls, male patients had higher serum levels of IL-23 than women. Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, lung involvement and age did not affect serum levels of IL-17A, IL-23 and CCL3 in the patients. It appears that IL-17A, IL-23 and CCL3 do not participate in the pro-inflammatory responses in Iranian hospitalized COVID-19 infected patients. However, the gender can be considered as a risk factor for production of more IL-23, which needs to be explored further.
