Chemerin as a Potential Marker of Resolution of Inflammation in COVID-19 Infection
Joanna Sulicka‐Grodzicka, Andrzej Surdacki, Marcin Surmiak, Marek Sanak, Barbara Wizner, Wojciech Sydor, Monika Bociąga‐Jasik, Magdalena Strach, Mariusz Korkosz, Ľubomír Skladaný, Ivica Grgurević, Kristian Podrug, Michał Kukla
Abstract
Chemerin is one of the specialized pro-resolving mediators that participate in the early phase of inflammation and contribute to the initiation of the pro-resolving response. There is a paucity of data regarding the time course of chemerin during acute infections. We aimed to evaluate the sequence of inflammatory responses in the acute COVID-19 phase throughout onset and resolution of inflammation. We evaluated changes in selected biomarkers in COVID-19 survivors on the 7-day and 28-day follow up. Chemerin was lower in patients with baseline moderate/severe disease at day 7 compared with asymptomatic patients and individuals with mild illness (7265 [5526−9448] vs. 8730 [6888−11,058] pg/mL; p = 0.03). Only in patients with moderate/severe disease, but not in those with mild symptoms, were chemerin concentrations decreased one week after infection onset compared with baseline (7265 [5526−9448] vs. 8866 [6383−10,690] pg/mL; p < 0.05) with a subsequent increase on the 28-day follow up (9313 [7353−11,033] pg/mL; p < 0.05). Resolution of inflammation in the group of moderate/severe SARS-CoV2 infection was associated with increasing serum concentrations of chemerin, contrary to pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines (pentraxin 3, TNFα, resistin, leptin). A similar pattern of angiopoietin-2 dynamics may suggest signs of enhanced vascularization as a consequence of acute SARS-CoV2 infection.