Soluble HLA-G is upregulated in serum of patients with severe COVID-19

Al-Bayatee, Noor T.; Ad'hiah, Ali H.

Soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) molecules are considered potent immunomodulators, and their dysregulated expression has been implicated in several pathological conditions, including coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Therefore, a case-control study (103 COVID-19 patients and 105 controls) was performed to determine sHLA-G role in severity of COVID-19. Results revealed that median levels of sHLA-G were significantly increased in serum of patients compared to controls (19.3 vs. 12.7 ng/mL; p <0.001). When patients and controls were stratified by age group, gender, body mass index, chronic disease, or ABO and Rh blood groups, the sHLA-G level did not show a significant difference in each stratum. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the up-regulated expression of sHLA-G was associated with an elevated risk of developing COVID-19. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that sHLA-G was a very good predictor of COVID-19, and at a cut-off value of 15.4 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity of sHLA-G were 79.6 and 79.0%, respectively. Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed that sHLA-G was positively correlated with age, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, white blood cell count, and random blood glucose, while a negative correlation was recorded with vitamin D. In conclusion, up-regulated expression of sHLA-G was indicated in patients with severe COVID-19.