University’s scientists Alberta in Canada identified protein in the blood, which contributes to a cytokine storm – a dangerous state, which often becomes the cause of patients with a severe COVID-19 patient. The release of cytokines correlates with the level of galektin-9 in the blood plasma: the more, the greater the likelihood of a cytokine storm. This is reported in the article published in the magazine MBIO.
Researchers analyzed blood plasma 120 patients with COVID-19. It turned out that levels of galektin-9 in these patients were significantly higher than those with HIV and cancer, in which the content of this protein also exceeds the norm. Thus, the high level of galentin-9 can serve as a reliable biomarker of coronavirus infection SARS-COV-2, as well as a predictor of serious complications.
GALEXTIN-9 binds to immune cells and causes them to quickly release pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to the COVID-19 infection. Due to the progressive inflammation, there is damage to the tissues, which is released by even more halektin-9 and even more immune cells producing cytokines are activated. Even if the patients survive the systemic inflammation of the body, in which the work of the internal organs is disturbed, they will suffer from long consequences known as post-shaped syndrome.
Although lactose or antibodies against GALEXTIN-9 can serve as a basis for means inhibiting protein, currently there are no drugs on the market specifically designed to block the galektin-9 in people. Researchers plan to prove that protein suppression is really able to reduce the damage to the body from the cytokine storm, using animal models.