Pathophysiological changes in erythrocytes contributing to complications of inflammation and coagulation in COVID-19

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dc.contributor.author Soma, Prashilla
dc.contributor.author Bester, Janette
dc.date.accessioned 2022-10-27T11:07:37Z
dc.date.available 2022-10-27T11:07:37Z
dc.date.issued 2022-06-15
dc.description.abstract Higher thrombotic burden in the acute phase of COVID-19 relies on a complex interplay between pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine release, increased endothelial dysfunction/ damage, and potential sepsis-induced coagulopathy development in severe cases, all promoting coagulation activation. Plasma levels of cytokines and chemokines are known to be increased in COVID-19 however, are much higher in severe infections. Increased levels of IL1β, IL-6, and IL-8 are known to play an important role in both acute and chronic inflammation, resulting in pathological clotting. However, little has been published on the effects of these interleukins on red blood cells (RBCs). Evidence shows that cytokines have a negative effect on the RBCs ultrastructure and introduce signs of eryptosis. Eryptosis can be described as a form of suicidal death of RBCs characterized by distinct findings of cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, activation of proteases, and phosphatidylserine exposure at the outer membrane leaflet. Red blood cells from COVID-19 patients had increased levels of glycolytic intermediates, accompanied by oxidation and fragmentation of ankyrin, spectrin beta, and the N-terminal cytosolic domain of band 3 (AE1). Significantly altered lipid metabolism was also observed, in particular, short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids, acyl-carnitines, and sphingolipids. Emerging research suggests that RBCs may contribute to a precision medicine approach to sepsis and have diagnostic value in monitoring complement dysregulation in COVID-19-sepsis and non-COVID sepsis as research indicates that complement activation products and viral antigens are present on RBCs in patients with COVID-19. en_US
dc.description.department Anatomy en_US
dc.description.department Physiology en_US
dc.description.librarian dm2022 en_US
dc.description.uri https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology en_US
dc.identifier.citation Soma, P. & Bester, J. (2022) Pathophysiological Changes in Erythrocytes Contributing to Complications of Inflammation and Coagulation in COVID-19. Frontiers in Physiology 13:899629. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.899629. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 1664-042X (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.3389/fphys.2022.899629
dc.identifier.uri https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/88010
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Frontiers Media S.A. en_US
dc.rights © 2022 Soma and Bester. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). en_US
dc.subject Coagulopathy en_US
dc.subject Cytokines en_US
dc.subject Precision medicine en_US
dc.subject Erythrocytes en_US
dc.subject COVID-19 pandemic en_US
dc.subject Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) en_US
dc.subject Red blood cells (RBCs) en_US
dc.title Pathophysiological changes in erythrocytes contributing to complications of inflammation and coagulation in COVID-19 en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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