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Interleukin-17, a salivary biomarker for COVID-19 severity
Fatemeh Saheb Sharif-Askari1, Narjes Saheb Sharif-Askari1, Shirin Hafezi1
1Sharjah Institute of Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Objectives:
T-helper 17 cell-mediated response and their effector IL-17 cytokine induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a major cause of COVID-19 disease severity and death. Therefore, the study aimed to determine if IL-17 level in saliva mirrors its circulatory level and hence can be used as a non-invasive biomarker for disease severity.
Methods:
Interleukin-17 (IL-17) level was evaluated by ELISA in saliva and blood of 201 adult COVID-19 patients with different levels of severity. The IL-17 saliva level was also associated with COVID-19 disease severity, and need for mechanical ventilation and/or death within 29 days after admission of severe COVID-19 patients.
Results:
We found that IL-17 level in saliva of COVID-19 patients reflected its circulatory level. High IL-17 level in saliva was associated with COVID-19 severity (P<0.001), need for mechanical ventilation (P = 0.002), and/or death by 29 days (P = 0.002), after adjusting for patients' demographics, comorbidity, and COVID-19 serum severity markers such as D-Dimer, C-reactive protein, and ferritin.
Conclusion:
We propose that saliva IL-17 level could be used as a biomarker to identify patients at risk of developing severe COVID-19.
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