E-Selectin research in children with COVID-19

Abstract

E-selectin is a glycoprotein located on the cell surface and belongs to the class of cell adhesion molecules. It is a key regulator of thrombus and fibrin formation. It is produced by endothelial cells in case of inflammatory tissue damage and contributes to the recruitment of neutrophils from the circulating blood to the site of damage [1]. The pandemic of the coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the frequency of its fatal consequences and the development of numerous complications necessitated the search for biomarkers that could prevent the occurrence of unfavorable conditions, especially from the circulatory and cardiovascular systems. According to published meta-analyses, the incidence of thromboembolism after COVID-19 is about 13% [2]. In one study, scientists found that E-selectin is a prognostic marker for hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit and a predictor of a complicated course. E-selectin values were correlated with the number of neutrophils (R = 0.32 (p = 0.001)) and the number of days from the onset of symptoms to hospitalization (R = 0.28 (p = 0.004)) [3]. In Mona M Watany et al (2022), elevated E-selectin also correlated with current laboratory biomarkers of disease severity and was a predictor of thrombosis after COVID-19. Therefore, the authors proposed the use of this marker to identify patients who need prophylactic anticoagulants [4].The purpose of the study is to determine the level of E-selectin in children with COVID-19 and to investigate correlations with age, severity and other laboratory parameters. Materials and methods of research. A retrospective cohort, observational study was conducted. We examined 88 children aged from 1 month to 17 years with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who underwent inpatient treatment in Kyiv City Children's Clinical Infectious Hospital in 2021-2022. Children were divided into age groups - from birth to 12 months, from 1 to 6 years, from 6 to 10 years and from 10 to 17 years. The course of the children's illness and the main laboratory indicators were taken into account. During the complex routine examination of the patients during the first day of their stay in the hospital, the blood serum of the patients was collected for the purpose of its further examination for the level of E-selectin by enzyme immunoassay. We used the “Human E-selectin, SELE, BT-Lab Kit” with a working measurement range of 0.1-40 ng/ml and a sensitivity of 0.055 ng/ml. The study was approved by the bioethical committee of the hospital and informed consent was obtained from the patients. For statistical processing of the results, we used the biostatistical package Statistical software EZR v. 1.54 and performed interval estimation of the distribution, multiple comparisons, and calculated the Pearson and Dunn correlation coefficient.