Increased proinflammatory cytokines in tears correspond with conjunctival SARS-CoV-2 positivity in symptomatic COVID-19 patients

• Published in: Scientific reports 2022-05, Vol.12 (1), p.7225-7225, Article 7225
• Main Authors: Niedźwiedź, Anna, Kawa, Miłosz, Pius-Sadowska, Ewa, Kuligowska, Agnieszka, Ziontkowska, Alicja, Wrzałek, Dawid, Wiącek, Marta P., Parczewski, Miłosz, Ossowski, Andrzej, Zielińska, Grażyna, Safranow, Krzysztof, Kozłowski, Krzysztof, Machaliński, Bogusław, Machalińska, Anna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/420/256/2516; 692/699/255/2514; Conjunctiva; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cytokines; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; IL-1β; Immune system; Infections; Inflammation; Innate immunity; Interleukin 1; Interleukin 10; Interleukin 12; Interleukin 2; Interleukin 4; Interleukin 5; Interleukin 6; Interleukin 8; multidisciplinary; SARS-CoV-2; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Secretions; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Tears; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Tumor necrosis factor-α; γ-Interferon
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11285-7

Tear fluid cytokine levels may serve as biomarkers of innate immune system response against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, our aim was to analyze panel of selected inflammatory cytokines in tears of COVID-19 patients in relation to presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in conjunctival secretions. In this study concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12 p70, GM-CSF, and IFN-γ were determined by a magnetic bead assay in tear film collected from 232 symptomatic COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 ocular infection was confirmed based on positive conjunctival swab-based RT-PCR testing. Viral RNA in conjunctival sac was detected in 21 patients (9%). No relation between presence and the duration of ophthalmic symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 infection detected in conjunctival secretions was found. The tear film concentrations of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-5, IL-8 and GM-CSF were found to be significantly greater among patients with positive conjunctival swab results as compared to the group negative for SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival sac. Our current data depict a group of inflammatory mediators in human tears, which may play a significant role in ocular pathology of SARS-CoV-2 conjunctival infection.