Association of serum level of stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit) with the severity of COVID-19 infection in a sample of Iraqi patients with Asthma

Abstract

Background:  SARS-CoV-2, an enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, was the cause of the pandemic COVID-19. It enters the host cells via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and causes diffuse alveolar damage, pulmonary capillary congestion, and a cytokine storm, which leads to respiratory failure and the deadly acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Asthma affects a sizable majority of COVID-19 patients.  The effects of asthma on COVID-19 progression are still unknown, but a moderating effect is conceivable because respiratory viruses are known to be a significant cause of asthma attacks, and another factor, possibly SCF (stem cell factor and its receptor), is a pleiotropic cytokine that affects immune response activation and survival at various stages of bone marrow development. Therefore, the study's case control objective was to assess the blood levels of c-KIT and the gene expression of stem cell factors in various age groups (asthmatics, people infected with Covid-19, and asthmatics and infected patients compared to healthy subjects). Methods:  A case-control investigation was carried out on This study included one handicapped patient who visited Al-Kadhimya Hospital, Medical City, and private clinics in Baghdad, Iraq. The study also included 50 control subjects (without asthma or covid 19). For all groups indicated, the serum level of C-Kit was calculated using ELISA methods. SCF's gene expression was evaluated using the Ct value and folding (2-ΔΔCt) and standardized to the level of a housekeeping gene (GAPDH). Results: The expression of c-KIT and SCF significantly increased in the aforementioned groups (p < 0.001 and p <0.05, respectively). Conclusion: Serum concentrations of SCF and its soluble receptor c-kit appear to be prospective diagnostic targets for asthma and Covid-19 severity, indicating a function for these molecules in asthmatic inflammation as well as a potential treatment target for Covid-19 pathogenesis.