Alterations In Inflammatory Biomarkers Among Egyptian Covid-19 Patients

Ismail, Hala Mohamed; Shousha, Wafaa Gh.; Shaker, Olfat Gamil; Shawki Ramadan, Shimaa; Philips, Marian V.; Abdo, Sara M.

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2025.369599.11478

Alterations In Inflammatory Biomarkers Among Egyptian Covid-19 Patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Biochemistry Faculty of science Helwan University

² Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Ain Helwan, Cairo, Egypt.

³ professor of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo

⁴ Helwan University, EGYPT

⁵ Department of internal medicine, Faculty of medicine, Cairo university, Giza , Egypt .

⁶ Faculty of Science Helwan University

10.21608/ejchem.2025.369599.11478

Abstract

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease with pathogenic characteristics, similar to pneumonia. It is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), which led to the recent global pandemic. Persistent inflammation in COVID-19 patients is associated with Toll-Like Receptor-4 (TLR4) signaling. Host microRNAs can alter cytokine storm linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and have been proposed as biomarkers for COVID-19 disease. This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of miR-182 and TLR4 along with their correlation with laboratory biomarkers and clinical features in COVID-19 patients. A total of 100 participants were included, comprising 70 COVID-19 patients and 30 healthy controls. The expression levels of miR-182 and TLR4 were determined using qRT-PCR. Significant differences were observed in laboratory biomarkers, including RBCs, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit (%), MCHC , PLTs, WBCs, INR, basophile , eosinophil, albumin, bilirubin ,LDH , ALT, AST, PT, creatinine, potassium (K) , random blood sugar , CRP, D-Dimer, RDW (%) and partial pressure of oxygen (pO2), and Bicarbonate (HCO3) between COVID-19 patients and controls. Furthermore, miR-182 expression level was significantly upregulated, whereas TLR4 gene expression level was significantly downregulated in COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Besides, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed diagnostic performance for miR-182 and TLR4, with cutoff values of 3.2 (AUC =0.986 , 98.57 % sensitivity, 99.8% specificity) and 0.67 (AUC= 0.953 ,90 % sensitivity, 99.99 % specificity), respectively ( p<0.0001). Based on these results, miR-182 and TLR4 may serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for COVID-19.

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