1
|
Claesen K, Sim Y, Bracke A, De bruyn M, De Hert E, Vliegen G, Hotterbeekx A, Vujkovic A, van Petersen L, De Winter FHR, Brosius I, Theunissen C, van Ierssel S, van Frankenhuijsen M, Vlieghe E, Vercauteren K, Kumar-Singh S, De Meester I, Hendriks D. Activation of the Carboxypeptidase U (CPU, TAFIa, CPB2) System in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection Could Contribute to COVID-19 Hypofibrinolytic State and Disease Severity Prognosis. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11061494. [PMID: 35329820 PMCID: PMC8954233 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11061494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral lower respiratory tract infection caused by the highly transmissible and pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory-syndrome coronavirus-2). Besides respiratory failure, systemic thromboembolic complications are frequent in COVID-19 patients and suggested to be the result of a dysregulation of the hemostatic balance. Although several markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis have been studied extensively, little is known about the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the potent antifibrinolytic enzyme carboxypeptidase U (CPU). Blood was collected longitudinally from 56 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 32 healthy controls. Procarboxypeptidase U (proCPU) levels and total active and inactivated CPU (CPU+CPUi) antigen levels were measured. At study inclusion (shortly after hospital admission), proCPU levels were significantly lower and CPU+CPUi antigen levels significantly higher in COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Both proCPU and CPU+CPUi antigen levels showed a subsequent progressive increase in these patients. Hereafter, proCPU levels decreased and patients were, at discharge, comparable to the controls. CPU+CPUi antigen levels at discharge were still higher compared to controls. Baseline CPU+CPUi antigen levels (shortly after hospital admission) correlated with disease severity and the duration of hospitalization. In conclusion, CPU generation with concomitant proCPU consumption during early SARS-CoV-2 infection will (at least partly) contribute to the hypofibrinolytic state observed in COVID-19 patients, thus enlarging their risk for thrombosis. Moreover, given the association between CPU+CPUi antigen levels and both disease severity and duration of hospitalization, this parameter may be a potential biomarker with prognostic value in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen Claesen
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
| | - Yani Sim
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
| | - An Bracke
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
| | - Michelle De bruyn
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
| | - Emilie De Hert
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
| | - Gwendolyn Vliegen
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
| | - An Hotterbeekx
- Molecular Pathology Group, Laboratory of Cell Biology & Histology, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (A.H.); (F.H.R.D.W.); (S.K.-S.)
| | - Alexandra Vujkovic
- Clinical Virology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (A.V.); (K.V.)
| | - Lida van Petersen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (L.v.P.); (I.B.); (C.T.); (M.v.F.)
| | - Fien H. R. De Winter
- Molecular Pathology Group, Laboratory of Cell Biology & Histology, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (A.H.); (F.H.R.D.W.); (S.K.-S.)
| | - Isabel Brosius
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (L.v.P.); (I.B.); (C.T.); (M.v.F.)
| | - Caroline Theunissen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (L.v.P.); (I.B.); (C.T.); (M.v.F.)
| | - Sabrina van Ierssel
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, 2650 Edegem, Belgium; (S.v.I.); (E.V.)
| | - Maartje van Frankenhuijsen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (L.v.P.); (I.B.); (C.T.); (M.v.F.)
| | - Erika Vlieghe
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, 2650 Edegem, Belgium; (S.v.I.); (E.V.)
| | - Koen Vercauteren
- Clinical Virology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (A.V.); (K.V.)
| | - Samir Kumar-Singh
- Molecular Pathology Group, Laboratory of Cell Biology & Histology, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (A.H.); (F.H.R.D.W.); (S.K.-S.)
| | - Ingrid De Meester
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
| | - Dirk Hendriks
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (K.C.); (Y.S.); (A.B.); (M.D.b.); (E.D.H.); (G.V.); (I.D.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-3-265-27-27
| |
Collapse
|