Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary Study
In the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, male sex is a risk factor for severe disease and death, and the reasons for these clinical discrepancies are largely unknown. The aim of this work is to study the influence of sex on the course of infection and the differences in prognostic markers between ge...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Personalized Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/12/7/1058 |
| _version_ | 1797445945096404992 |
|---|---|
| author | Valentina Lopardo Valeria Conti Francesco Montella Teresa Iannaccone Roberta Maria Esposito Carmine Sellitto Valentina Manzo Anna Maciag Rosaria Ricciardi Pasquale Pagliano Annibale Alessandro Puca Amelia Filippelli Elena Ciaglia |
| author_facet | Valentina Lopardo Valeria Conti Francesco Montella Teresa Iannaccone Roberta Maria Esposito Carmine Sellitto Valentina Manzo Anna Maciag Rosaria Ricciardi Pasquale Pagliano Annibale Alessandro Puca Amelia Filippelli Elena Ciaglia |
| author_sort | Valentina Lopardo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, male sex is a risk factor for severe disease and death, and the reasons for these clinical discrepancies are largely unknown. The aim of this work is to study the influence of sex on the course of infection and the differences in prognostic markers between genders in COVID-19 patients. Our cohort consisted of 64 adult patients (<i>n</i> = 34 men and <i>n</i> = 30 women) with PCR-proven SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further, a group of patients was characterized by a different severity degree (<i>n</i> = 8 high- and <i>n</i> = 8 low-grade individuals for both male and female patients). As expected, the serum concentrations of LDH, fibrinogen, CRP, and leucocyte count in men were significantly higher than in females. When serum concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-2, IP-10 and IL-4 and chemokines like MCP-1, were measured with multiplex ELISA, no significant differences between male and female patients were found. In COVID-19 patients, we recently attributed a new prognostic value to BPIFB4, a natural defensin against dysregulation of the immune responses. Here, we clarify that BPIFB4 is inversely related to the disease degree in men but not in women. Indeed, higher levels of BPIFB4 characterized low-grade male patients compared to high-grade ones. On the contrary, no significant difference was reported between <i>low-grade</i> female patients and <i>high-grade</i> ones. In conclusion, the identification of BPIFB4 as a biomarker of mild/moderate disease and its sex-specific activity would open an interesting field for research to underpin gender-related susceptibility to the disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:33:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5619e6f9467d4d42aa480dcfc8384d82 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4426 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:33:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Personalized Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-5619e6f9467d4d42aa480dcfc8384d822023-11-30T21:14:54ZengMDPI AGJournal of Personalized Medicine2075-44262022-06-01127105810.3390/jpm12071058Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary StudyValentina Lopardo0Valeria Conti1Francesco Montella2Teresa Iannaccone3Roberta Maria Esposito4Carmine Sellitto5Valentina Manzo6Anna Maciag7Rosaria Ricciardi8Pasquale Pagliano9Annibale Alessandro Puca10Amelia Filippelli11Elena Ciaglia12Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyCardiovascular Research Unit, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, ItalyClinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics Unit, University Hospital “San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona”, 84131 Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, 84081 Baronissi Salerno, ItalyIn the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, male sex is a risk factor for severe disease and death, and the reasons for these clinical discrepancies are largely unknown. The aim of this work is to study the influence of sex on the course of infection and the differences in prognostic markers between genders in COVID-19 patients. Our cohort consisted of 64 adult patients (<i>n</i> = 34 men and <i>n</i> = 30 women) with PCR-proven SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further, a group of patients was characterized by a different severity degree (<i>n</i> = 8 high- and <i>n</i> = 8 low-grade individuals for both male and female patients). As expected, the serum concentrations of LDH, fibrinogen, CRP, and leucocyte count in men were significantly higher than in females. When serum concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-2, IP-10 and IL-4 and chemokines like MCP-1, were measured with multiplex ELISA, no significant differences between male and female patients were found. In COVID-19 patients, we recently attributed a new prognostic value to BPIFB4, a natural defensin against dysregulation of the immune responses. Here, we clarify that BPIFB4 is inversely related to the disease degree in men but not in women. Indeed, higher levels of BPIFB4 characterized low-grade male patients compared to high-grade ones. On the contrary, no significant difference was reported between <i>low-grade</i> female patients and <i>high-grade</i> ones. In conclusion, the identification of BPIFB4 as a biomarker of mild/moderate disease and its sex-specific activity would open an interesting field for research to underpin gender-related susceptibility to the disease.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/12/7/1058COVID-19severitygender |
| spellingShingle | Valentina Lopardo Valeria Conti Francesco Montella Teresa Iannaccone Roberta Maria Esposito Carmine Sellitto Valentina Manzo Anna Maciag Rosaria Ricciardi Pasquale Pagliano Annibale Alessandro Puca Amelia Filippelli Elena Ciaglia Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary Study Journal of Personalized Medicine COVID-19 severity gender |
| title | Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary Study |
| title_full | Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary Study |
| title_fullStr | Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary Study |
| title_short | Gender Differences Associated with the Prognostic Value of BPIFB4 in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Preliminary Study |
| title_sort | gender differences associated with the prognostic value of bpifb4 in covid 19 patients a single center preliminary study |
| topic | COVID-19 severity gender |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/12/7/1058 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT valentinalopardo genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT valeriaconti genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT francescomontella genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT teresaiannaccone genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT robertamariaesposito genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT carminesellitto genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT valentinamanzo genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT annamaciag genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT rosariaricciardi genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT pasqualepagliano genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT annibalealessandropuca genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT ameliafilippelli genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy AT elenaciaglia genderdifferencesassociatedwiththeprognosticvalueofbpifb4incovid19patientsasinglecenterpreliminarystudy |