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Borghesani M, Gervaso L, Cella CA, Benini L, Ciardiello D, Algeri L, Ferrero A, Valenza C, Guidi L, Zampino MG, Spada F, Fazio N. Promising targetable biomarkers in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab 2023; 18:387-398. [PMID: 37743651 DOI: 10.1080/17446651.2023.2248239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In the treatment scenario of PanNETs-targeted therapies are desired but limited, as rarity and heterogeneity on PanNETs pose limitations to their development. AREAS COVERED We performed a literature review searching for promising druggable biomarkers and potential treatments to be implemented in the next future. We focused on treatments which have already reached clinical experimentation, although in early phases. Six targets were identified, namely Hsp90, HIFa, HDACs, CDKs, uPAR, and DDR. Even though biological rational is strong, so far reported efficacy outcomes are quite disappointing. The reason of that should be searched in the patients' heterogeneity, lack of biomarker selection, poor knowledge of interfering mechanisms as well as difficulties in patients accrual. Moreover, different ways to assess treatment efficacy should be considered, other than response rate, in light of the more indolent nature of NETs. EXPERT OPINION Development of targeted treatments in PanNETs is still an uncovered area, far behind other more frequent cancers. Rarity of NETs led to accrual of unselected populations, possibly jeopardizing the drug efficacy. Better patients' selection, both in terms of topography, grading and biomarkers is crucial and will help understanding which role targeted therapies can really play in these tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Borghesani
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - L Gervaso
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
- Molecular Medicine Program, University of Pavia, Pavia, Lombardia, IT, Italy
| | - C A Cella
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - L Benini
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - D Ciardiello
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - L Algeri
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - A Ferrero
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - C Valenza
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - L Guidi
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - M G Zampino
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - F Spada
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
| | - N Fazio
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Cancer Medical Treatment, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, IT, Italy
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Carlsen EA, Loft M, Loft A, Berthelsen AK, Langer SW, Knigge U, Kjaer A. Prospective Phase II Trial of Prognostication by 68Ga-NOTA-AE105 uPAR PET in Patients with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Implications for uPAR-Targeted Therapy. J Nucl Med 2022; 63:1371-1377. [PMID: 35058319 PMCID: PMC9454472 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.121.263177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The clinical course for patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) ranges from indolent to highly aggressive. Noninvasive tools to improve prognostication and guide decisions on treatment are warranted. Expression of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is present in many cancer types and associated with a poor outcome. Therefore, using an in-house-developed uPAR PET tracer [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-Asp-Cha-Phe-D-Ser-D-Arg-Tyr-Leu-Trp-Ser-OH (68Ga-NOTA-AE105), we aimed to assess uPAR expression in NENs. We hypothesized that uPAR expression was detectable in a significant proportion of patients and associated with a poorer outcome. In addition, as uPAR-targeted radionuclide therapy has previously proven effective in preclinical models, the study would also indicate the potential for uPAR-targeted radionuclide therapy in NEN patients. Methods: In a prospective clinical phase II trial, we included 116 patients with NENs of all grades, of whom 96 subsequently had uPAR PET/CT performed with evaluable lesions. PET/CT was performed 20 min after injection of approximately 200 MBq of 68Ga-NOTA-AE105. uPAR target-to-liver ratio was used to define lesions as uPAR-positive when lesion SUVmax-to-liver SUVmean ratio was at least 2. Patients were followed for at least 1 y to assess progression-free and overall survival. Results: Most patients had small intestinal NENs (n = 61) and metastatic disease (n = 86). uPAR-positive lesions were seen in 68% (n = 65) of all patients and in 75% (n = 18) of patients with high-grade (grade 3) NENs. During follow-up (median, 28 mo), 59 patients (62%) experienced progressive disease and 28 patients (30%) died. High uPAR expression, defined as a uPAR target-to-liver ratio above median, had a hazard ratio of 1.87 (95% CI, 1.11-3.17) and 2.64 (95% CI, 1.19-5.88) for progression-free and overall survival, respectively (P < 0.05 for both). Conclusion: When 68Ga-NOTA-AE105 PET was used to image uPAR in patients with NENs, uPAR-positive lesions were seen in most patients, notably in patients with both low-grade and high-grade NENs. Furthermore, uPAR expression was associated with a worse prognosis. We suggest that uPAR PET is relevant for risk stratification and that uPAR may be a promising target for therapy in patients with NENs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esben Andreas Carlsen
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine & Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet & Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark;,ENETS Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mathias Loft
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine & Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet & Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark;,ENETS Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Annika Loft
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine & Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet & Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark;,ENETS Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Kiil Berthelsen
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine & Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet & Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark;,ENETS Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Seppo W. Langer
- ENETS Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark;,Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark;,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; and
| | - Ulrich Knigge
- ENETS Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark;,Departments of Clinical Endocrinology and Surgical Gastroenterology, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas Kjaer
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine & Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet & Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; .,ENETS Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
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3
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Özdirik B, Maibier M, Scherf M, Nicklaus JM, Frohme J, Puengel T, Meyer zum Büschenfelde D, Tacke F, Mueller T, Sigal M. Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor Levels Are Associated with Severity of Fibrosis in Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11092479. [PMID: 35566603 PMCID: PMC9105770 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11092479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has evolved as a useful biomarker for different entities of chronic liver disease. However, its role in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is obscure. We analyzed plasma levels of suPAR in 84 patients with PSC and compared them to 68 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) without PSC and to 40 healthy controls. Results are correlated with clinical records. suPAR concentrations were elevated in patients with PSC compared to patients with IBD only and to healthy controls (p < 0.001). Elevated suPAR levels were associated with the presence of liver cirrhosis (p < 0.001) and signs of portal hypertension (p < 0.001). suPAR revealed a high accuracy for the discrimination of the presence of liver cirrhosis comparable to previously validated noninvasive fibrosis markers (area under the curve (AUC) 0.802 (95%CI: 0.702−0.902)). Further, we demonstrated that suPAR levels may indicate the presence of acute cholangitis episodes (p < 0.001). Finally, despite the high proportion of PSC patients with IBD, presence of IBD and its disease activity did not influence circulating suPAR levels. suPAR represents a previously unrecognized biomarker for diagnosis and liver cirrhosis detection in patients with PSC. However, it does not appear to be confounded by intestinal inflammation in the context of IBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burcin Özdirik
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
- Berlin Institute of Health, 10178 Berlin, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-30-450-656-004; Fax: +49-30-450-553-902
| | - Martin Maibier
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Maria Scherf
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Jule Marie Nicklaus
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Josephine Frohme
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Tobias Puengel
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
- Berlin Institute of Health, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Meyer zum Büschenfelde
- Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, 13353 Berlin, Germany;
- Labor Berlin—Charité Vivantes GmbH, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Tacke
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Tobias Mueller
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Michael Sigal
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (M.M.); (M.S.); (J.M.N.); (J.F.); (T.P.); (F.T.); (T.M.); (M.S.)
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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Schmidt TP, Albanna W, Weiss M, Veldeman M, Conzen C, Nikoubashman O, Blume C, Kluger DS, Clusmann H, Loosen SH, Schubert GA. The Role of Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) in the Context of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (aSAH)—A Prospective Observational Study. Front Neurol 2022; 13:841024. [PMID: 35359651 PMCID: PMC8960720 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.841024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is highly variable and largely determined by early brain injury and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) represents a promising inflammatory marker which has previously been associated with outcome in traumatic brain injury and stroke patients. However, its relevance in the context of inflammatory changes after aSAH is unclear. Here, we aimed to characterize the role of circulating suPAR in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a novel biomarker for aSAH patients. Methods A total of 36 aSAH patients, 10 control patients with unruptured abdominal aneurysm and 32 healthy volunteers were included for analysis. suPAR was analyzed on the day of admission in all patients. In aSAH patients, suPAR was also determined on the day of DCI and the respective time frame in asymptomatic patients. One- and two-sample t-tests were used for simple difference comparisons within and between groups. Regression analysis was used to assess the influence of suPAR levels on outcome in terms of modified Rankin score. Results Significantly elevated suPAR serum levels (suPAR-SL) on admission were found for aSAH patients compared to healthy controls, but not compared to vascular control patients. Disease severity as documented according to Hunt and Hess grade and modified Fisher grade was associated with higher suPAR CSF levels (suPAR-CSFL). In aSAH patients, suPAR-SL increased daily by 4%, while suPAR-CSFL showed a significantly faster daily increase by an average of 22.5% per day. Each increase of the suPAR-SL by 1 ng/ml more than tripled the odds of developing DCI (OR = 3.06). While admission suPAR-CSFL was not predictive of DCI, we observed a significant correlation with modified Rankin's degree of disability at discharge. Conclusion Elevated suPAR serum level on admission as a biomarker for early inflammation after aSAH is associated with an increased risk of DCI. Elevated suPAR-CSFL levels correlate with a higher degree of disability at discharge. These distinct relations and the observation of a continuous increase over time affirm the role of inflammation in aSAH and require further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias P. Schmidt
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Tobias P. Schmidt
| | - Walid Albanna
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Miriam Weiss
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Michael Veldeman
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Catharina Conzen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Omid Nikoubashman
- Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Blume
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Daniel S. Kluger
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hans Clusmann
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sven H. Loosen
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Gerrit A. Schubert
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland
- Gerrit A. Schubert
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El Salamouni NS, Buckley BJ, Ranson M, Kelso MJ, Yu H. Urokinase plasminogen activator as an anti-metastasis target: inhibitor design principles, recent amiloride derivatives, and issues with human/mouse species selectivity. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:277-301. [PMID: 35340592 PMCID: PMC8921380 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-021-00921-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is a widely studied anticancer drug target with multiple classes of inhibitors reported to date. Many of these inhibitors contain amidine or guanidine groups, while others lacking these groups show improved oral bioavailability. Most of the X-ray co-crystal structures of small molecule uPA inhibitors show a key salt bridge with the side chain carboxylate of Asp189 in the S1 pocket of uPA. This review summarises the different classes of uPA inhibitors, their binding interactions and experimentally measured inhibitory potencies and highlights species selectivity issues with attention to recently described 6-substituted amiloride and 5‑N,N-(hexamethylene)amiloride (HMA) derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehad S El Salamouni
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Benjamin J. Buckley
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Marie Ranson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Michael J. Kelso
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Haibo Yu
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
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Enocsson H, Idoff C, Gustafsson A, Govender M, Hopkins F, Larsson M, Nilsdotter-Augustinsson Å, Sjöwall J. Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) Independently Predicts Severity and Length of Hospitalisation in Patients With COVID-19. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:791716. [PMID: 34926532 PMCID: PMC8674575 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.791716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Efficient healthcare based on prognostic variables in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 could reduce the risk of complications and death. Recently, soluble urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) was shown to predict respiratory failure, kidney injury, and clinical outcome in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of suPAR as a prognostic tool, in comparison with other variables, regarding disease severity and length of hospital stay in patients with COVID-19. Patients and Methods: Individuals hospitalised with COVID-19 (40 males, 20 females; median age 57.5 years) with a median symptom duration of 10 days and matched, healthy controls (n = 30) were included. Admission levels of suPAR were measured in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Blood cell counts, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), plasma creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rates were analysed and oxygen demand, level of care and length of hospitalisation recorded. Results: Patients had significantly higher suPAR levels compared to controls (P < 0.001). Levels were higher in severely/critically (median 6.6 ng/mL) compared with moderately ill patients (median 5.0 ng/mL; P = 0.002). In addition, suPAR levels correlated with length of hospitalisation (rho = 0.35; P = 0.006). Besides suPAR, LDH, CRP, neutrophil count, neutrophil-to-monocyte and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, body mass index and chronic renal failure were discriminators of COVID-19 severity and/or predictors of length of hospitalisation. Conclusion: Admission levels of suPAR were higher in patients who developed severe/critical COVID-19 and associated with length of hospital stay. In addition, we showed that suPAR functioned as an independent predictor of COVID-19 disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Enocsson
- Division of Inflammation and Infection, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Cornelia Idoff
- Division of Inflammation and Infection, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Annette Gustafsson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Vrinnevi Hospital, Norrköping, Sweden
| | - Melissa Govender
- Division of Molecular Medicine and Virology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Francis Hopkins
- Division of Molecular Medicine and Virology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Marie Larsson
- Division of Molecular Medicine and Virology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Åsa Nilsdotter-Augustinsson
- Division of Inflammation and Infection, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Johanna Sjöwall
- Division of Inflammation and Infection, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Vrinnevi Hospital, Norrköping, Sweden
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