The team from the Institute for Molecular and Translational Therapy Strategies at MHH has shed light on the darkness. The biomarkers determined are actually typically found in inflammatory processes and patients with heart disease. They now also offer possible new starting points for therapy with Covid-19. The investigation is funded by the German Heart Foundation, the results were recently published in the “European Journal of Heart Failure”.
“MicroRNAs” as an indication
“We assumed that so-called non-coding microRNAs, which do not have any blueprints for genetic information, play an essential regulatory role in the excessive immune response and the subsequent remodeling work in the connective tissue of the lungs and heart. We already knew that these microRNAs can also be detected in the blood, ”explains Professor Dr. Dr. Thomas Thum.
The blood samples from 38 Covid patients were examined together with the MMH Clinics for Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology. “To do this, we focused on various sensitive microRNA markers for cardiovascular damage and analyzed how high their concentration is in the blood serum,” says the institute director. They all received intensive care and were dependent on ventilation.
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In order to be able to make comparisons, the team also examined the blood sources of flu patients with the so-called “acute respiratory distress syndrome” (ARDS). They too received ventilation and intensive care. In addition, the blood samples were taken from healthy people.
The result: Compared to healthy subjects, the concentration of the microRNA markers in the blood serum of the seriously ill Covid-19 patients was significantly higher. “But it also differed significantly from the values of the seriously ill, also mechanically ventilated influenza ARDS patients,” explains the MMH.
New approaches to therapy
The therapy of Covid patients could be influenced by the new findings. “In our estimation, the heart function of Covid-19 patients should be monitored over the long term,” says Thum. The microRNAs could also enable approaches for new therapies. The research team now wants to investigate whether the biomarkers can also be used to estimate the prognosis – for example for the course of the disease and recovery.
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