Linkage of Lambda Interferons in Protection Against Severe COVID-19.

Abstract

The most recently discovered interferon (IFN) family, type III IFNs or lambda IFNs (IFN-λs) are caused by viral infection and act in mucosal barriers, such as the respiratory tract. In this study, we assessed the serum levels of IFN-λs in new coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients. Sixty-four COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this study. All cases were divided into the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU groups according to their symptoms. Fourteen samples of healthy controls were also included. The serum levels of IFN-λ1 and IFN-λ2 were analyzed by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The concentrations of IFN-λ1 and IFN-λ2 induced in the serum of non-ICU patients (836.7 ± 284.6 and 798.8 ± 301.5 pg/mL, respectively) were higher than found in ICU patients (81.57 ± 34.25 and 48.32 ± 28.13 pg/mL, respectively) (P = 0.004 and P = 0.006, respectively) and healthy controls (85.57 ± 33.63 and 65.82 ± 21.26 pg/mL, respectively) (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively). Meanwhile, no significant differences were found in the concentration of both cytokines between the ICU patients and healthy controls. We conclude that higher levels of IFN-λs are associated with decreased clinical manifestations in COVID-19 patients. These cytokines could be a promising therapeutic agent to avoid the overwhelming consequences of COVID-19.

• Authors: Mehdi Shahbazi, Parviz Amri Maleh, Mojgan Bagherzadeh, Zahra Moulana, Mahdi Sepidarkish, Maryam Rezanejad, Mohammad Mirzakhani, Soheil Ebrahimpour, Hosein Ghorbani, Zahra Ahmadnia, Mostafa Javanian, Masomeh Bayani, Mousa Mohammadnia-Afrouzi
• Journal: Journal of interferon & cytokine research : the official journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research (J Interferon Cytokine Res) Vol. 41 Issue 4 Pg. 149-152 (04 2021) ISSN: 1557-7465 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 33885337 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• IFNL1 protein, human
• IFNL2 protein, human
• Interleukins
• Interferons

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• COVID-19 (blood, prevention & control)
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Female
• Humans
• Interferons (blood)
• Interleukins (blood)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• SARS-CoV-2 (metabolism)