The relationship between serum levels of interleukin-2 and IL-8 with circulating microRNA-10b in patients with COVID-19.

Bagheri-Hosseinabadi, Zahra; Ostad Ebrahimi, Hamid; Bahrehmand, Fatemeh; Taghipour, Gholamhosein; Abbasifard, Mitra

BACKGROUND The role of cytokine storm in the immunopathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been implicated. OBJECTIVE To determine the association of microRNA (miRNA)-10b and serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 in patients with COVID-19. METHODS Blood samples were obtained from 33 COVID-19 patients and 29 healthy subjects. After RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, the transcript level of miR-10b was determined by Real-time PCR. In addition, the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 were measured in subjects using ELISA. RESULTS The patient group comprised of 33 patients with COVID-19 (62.4 ± 3.7 years old), 13 (39%) males and 20 (61%) females. In the control group, 29 subjects (56.6 ± 1.6 years old), 9 (31%) males and 20 (69%) females, were included. The expression of miR-10b was significantly downregulated in the peripheral blood of COVID-19 patients in comparison to the healthy controls (fold change= 0.12, P< 0.0001). The levels of IL-2 (P< 0.001) and IL-8 (P< 0.001) were significantly increased in the serum samples of COVID-19 patients compared to the healthy subjects. The expression level of miR-10b was correlated significantly with the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 as well as with the age of patients, ESR and CRP levels. CONCLUSIONS miR-10b is downregulated in the COVID-19 patients and might result in increased levels of IL-2 and IL-8, hence contributing to cytokine storm.