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The Chemokine MIG is Associated with an Increased Risk of COVID-19 Mortality in Mexican Patients
Luis Antonio Ochoa-Ramirez1, Rosalio Ramos-Payan2, German Reynaldo Jimenez-Gastelum3
1Genomic Medicine Laboratory, Culiacan General Hospital, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Insights
Increased levels of certain chemokines, including Monokine Induced by Gamma Interferon (MIG), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1), and Interferon-gamma Inducible Protein 10 (IP-10), are linked to severe COVID-19 outcomes in Mexican patients. These findings suggest potential biomarkers for disease severity and therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- The host inflammatory response significantly influences the clinical outcome of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
- Exacerbated inflammation in severe COVID-19 involves chemokines, which attract immune cells to affected tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between specific chemokines (IL-8, RANTES, MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10) and the severity of COVID-19 in Mexican patients.
- To determine the relationship of these chemokine levels with COVID-19 outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Serum levels of IL-8, RANTES, MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 were measured using flow cytometry bead array assay.
- 148 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were categorized into mild, severe, and critical groups.
- A control group of 10 healthy individuals was included for comparison.
Main Results:
- Chemokine levels were elevated in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy individuals.
- Monokine Induced by Gamma Interferon (MIG), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1), and Interferon-gamma Inducible Protein 10 (IP-10) levels increased with disease severity, peaking in the critical group.
- Elevated MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 levels were also observed in patients with comorbidities like renal disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Increased MIG levels correlated with organic failure and mortality risk.
Conclusions:
- Elevated serum levels of MCP-1, IP-10, and particularly MIG may serve as predictors of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
- These chemokines represent potential therapeutic targets for managing severe COVID-19.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emergent viral disease in which the host inflammatory response modulates the clinical outcome. Severe outcomes are associated with an exacerbation of inflammation in which chemokines play an important role as the attractants of immune cells to the tissues.
Objective:
To evaluate the relationship of the chemokines IL-8, RANTES, MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 with COVID-19 severity and outcomes in Mexican patients.
Methods:
We analyzed the serum levels of IL-8, RANTES, MIG, MCP-1 and IP-10 in 148 COVID-19 hospitalized patients classified as mild (n=20), severe (n=61), and critical (n=67), as well as in healthy individuals (n=10), by flow cytometry bead array assay.
Results:
Chemokine levels were higher in patients than in the healthy individuals, but only MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 increased according to the disease severity, showing the highest levels in the critical group. MIG, MCP-1, and IP-10 levels were also higher in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities such as renal disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Moreover, elevated MIG levels seem to be related to organic failure/shock, and an increased risk of death.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that the increased levels of MCP-1, IP-10, and especially MIG might be useful in predicting severe COVID-19 outcomes and could be promising therapeutic targets.
