Relationship between serum osteopontin levels and the severity of COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Summary Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute inflammatory respiratory disease. Osteopontin (OPN) is a glycoprotein expressed in various cell types, such as bone, immune, smooth muscle, epithelial and endothelial cells. It also acts as a regulator of immune response. The aim of the present study was to reveal the place of serum osteopontin levels in predicting severity among patients with COVID-19. Methods This study included 84 patients, 43 female and 45 male. Patients were divided into 2 groups, group 1 non-severe group ( n : 48), group 2 severe ( n : 40). Demographic data, neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet, white blood cell counts, albumin, procalcitonin, C‑reactive protein (CRP) and OPN levels were recorded. The OPN levels and these inflammatory parameters of the two groups were compared. Results There were no significant differences in terms of gender (female/male 25/23 vs. 18/22) and platelet count (178 K/μL vs. 191 K/μL) between the groups ( p > 0.05). Ages (57.7 ± 17.0 years vs. 71.4 ± 12.8 years), procalcitonin (0.07 vs. 0.24 ng/mL), CRP (17 vs 158 mg/l), neutrophil count (3.7 vs 5.64 K/μL), WBC counts (5.38 vs 7.85 K/μL) and number of deaths (0 vs 26) ( p < 0.001). The OPN levels (98.5 vs 13.75 ng/mL, p = 0.002) were found to be statistically higher, in group 2 than group 1. Conclusion The present study showed that OPN can be used to predict the severity in patients with COVID-19.

Circulating Osteopontin Levels and Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19

“…OPN has been classified as T-helper 1 cytokine and thus believed to exacerbate inflammation in several chronic inflammatory diseases, including lung diseases. In line to our findings, the working groups of Varim et al described elevated levels of OPN in patients with COVID-19 and suggested a relationship between serum osteopontin levels and the disease severity [17]. OPN is reportedly associated with a broad spectrum of inflammatory and malignant diseases [7,18,19].…”

High Levels of the Cleaved Form of Galectin-9 and Osteopontin in the Plasma Are Associated with Inflammatory Markers That Reflect the Severity of COVID-19 Pneumonia

“…OPN levels were significantly higher in COVID-19-infected severe patients compared with non-severe cases [ 45 ]. Gal-9 levels were elevated in subjects infected with COVID-19 [ 16 , 17 ] or dengue febrile illness and reflected the severity of the disease [ 25 ].…”

“…During COVID-19 infection, OPN-induced furin may enhance the entry of SARS-CoV2 to target cells [ 59 ]. Furthermore, OPN levels were associated with the severity of COVID-19 infection and white blood cell numbers [ 45 ]. Recently, activated neutrophil markers including IL-8 and MMP-8 were proposed to distinguish patients at risk of future clinical decompensation, although OPN and Gal-9 were not examined [ 60 ].…”

Both Full-Length and Protease-Cleaved Products of Osteopontin Are Elevated in Infectious Diseases

“…Furthermore, Spearman analysis showed a significant negative association of Ud-OPN with respiratory factors and moderate positive associations with CRP, sIL-2R, ferritin, and D-dimer levels. The plasma levels of OPN were reported to be significantly higher in COVID-19-infected severe patients as compared with non-severe cases (Table 2), and the levels of OPN were associated with increased activation of macrophages, DCs, neutrophils, eosinophils, NK cells, and T and B lymphocytes in critical patients [116]. The plasma levels of FL-OPN and Ud-OPN in CP patients were significantly higher compared with those in CV patients (Table 2) [115].…”