Open AccessDecreased serum level of sphingosine‐1‐phosphate: a novel predictor of clinical severity in COVID‐19
Author(s) -
Marfia Giovanni,
Navone Stefania,
Guarnaccia Laura,
Campanella Rolando,
Mondoni Michele,
Locatelli Marco,
Barassi Alessandra,
Fontana Laura,
Palumbo Fabrizio,
Garzia Emanuele,
Ciniglio Appiani Giuseppe,
Chiumello Davide,
Miozzo Monica,
Centanni Stefano,
Riboni Laura
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
embo molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.923
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1757-4684
pISSN - 1757-4676
DOI - 10.15252/emmm.202013424
Subject(s) - lymphocytopenia , biomarker , ferritin , medicine , gastroenterology , fibrinogen , eosinopenia , severity of illness , immunology , anemia , lactate dehydrogenase , c reactive protein , intensive care unit , d dimer , neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio , lymphocyte , inflammation , biology , biochemistry , enzyme
Abstract The severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a crucial problem in patient treatment and outcome. The aim of this study is to evaluate circulating level of sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) along with severity markers, in COVID‐19 patients. One hundred eleven COVID‐19 patients and forty‐seven healthy subjects were included. The severity of COVID‐19 was found significantly associated with anemia, lymphocytopenia, and significant increase of neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio, ferritin, fibrinogen, aminotransferases, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C‐reactive protein (CRP), and D‐dimer. Serum S1P level was inversely associated with COVID‐19 severity, being significantly correlated with CRP, LDH, ferritin, and D‐dimer. The decrease in S1P was strongly associated with the number of erythrocytes, the major source of plasma S1P, and both apolipoprotein M and albumin, the major transporters of blood S1P. Not last, S1P was found to be a relevant predictor of admission to an intensive care unit, and patient’s outcome. Circulating S1P emerged as negative biomarker of severity/mortality of COVID‐19 patients. Restoring abnormal S1P levels to a normal range may have the potential to be a therapeutic target in patients with COVID‐19.