Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is defined as an emerging infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and celiac disease (CD) is one of the autoimmune multiorgan diseases, which can be accompanied by an increased risk of viral infections. CD patients, especially untreated subjects, may be at greater risk of infections such as viral illnesses. Interleukin (IL)-6, CD4, CD25, and FOXP3 are known as genes affecting immune homeostasis and relate to the inflammation state. This study aimed to compare the expression levels of aforementioned genes in peripheral blood samples of CD and severe COVID-19 patients. Methods Sixty newly diagnosed CD patients with median age (mean ± SD) of 35.40 ± 24.12 years; thirty confirmed severe COVID-19 patients with median age (mean ± SD) of 59.67 ± 17.22, and 60 healthy subjects with median age (mean ± SD) of 35.6 ± 13.02 years; were recruited from March to September 2020. Fresh whole blood samples were collected, total RNA was obtained and cDNA synthesis was carried out. RNA expression levels of IL-6, CD4, CD25, and FOXP3 genes were assessed using real-time quantitative RT-PCR according to the 2 −∆∆Ct formula. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (V.21) and GraphPad, Prism (V.6). Results While increased expression of CD4, CD25, and FOXP3 was observed in CD patients compared to the control group ( p = 0.02, p = 0.03, and p < 0.0001 respectively) and COVID-19 patients group ( p < 0.0001 for all of them), their expression levels in COVID-19 patients decreased compared to controls ( p < 0.0001, p = 0.01, p = 0.007, respectively). Increased IL-6 expression was observed in both groups of patients compared to controls ( p < 0.0001 for both of them). Conclusions Although untreated CD patients may be at greater risk of developing into severe COVID-19 if they are infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus (due to their high expression of IL-6), increased expression of anti-inflammatory markers in these patients may be beneficial for them with the ability of reducing the severity of COVID-19 disease, which needs to be proven in future studies involving celiac patients infected with COVID-19.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Gene Expression, interleukin-6, celiac disease, Regulatory, T-lymphocytes, 【초록키워드】 Inflammation, Coronavirus disease 2019, coronavirus, Diseases, severe COVID-19, Anti-inflammatory, IL-6, risk, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Infectious disease, RT-PCR, CD4, viral infections, Peripheral blood, interleukin, severity of COVID-19, Patient, Immune homeostasis, Control, Autoimmune, disease, expression, Quantitative, patients, CD25, FOXP3, Multiorgan, marker, Analysis, risk of infection, COVID-19 patient, fresh whole blood, Prism, acute respiratory syndrome, control group, increased expression, expression level, increased risk, viral illnesses, median age, severe COVID-19 patients, SPSS, total RNA, IL-6 expression, RNA expression, while, GraphPad, cDNA synthesis, Result, greater, defined, collected, caused, carried, recruited, diagnosed, was performed, subjects, reducing, affecting, Increased, healthy subject, was obtained, accompanied, in both group, infected with COVID-19, severe COVID-19 patient, were assessed, 【제목키워드】 CD4, Immune homeostasis, disease, CD25, FOXP3, IL-2, IL-6 expression, affecting, COVID-19 infected patient,