Endostatin level in coronavirus patients: a prospective study

Abstract

Background Endostatin is a protein linked to the C-terminal of collagen in the basement membrane of endothelial cells. It functions as an antiangiogenic protein. It inhibits endothelial proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Studies have observed that it downregulates endothelial-signaling pathways of proangiogenic activity as well as upregulates the angiogenic gene. Aim This work was designated to explore the levels of endostatin in coronavirus disease 2019, trying to investigate its role as a prognostic marker. Patients and methods Patients with positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were divided into two groups (survivors and nonsurvivors). Computed tomography chest was for each patient. The nonsurvivor group comprised 19 patients and the survivor group had 31 patients. In addition, 50 normal volunteers participated in this study and served as a control group. Serum endostatin was measured by ELISA and was compared with other measured laboratory parameters. Results Endostatin was statically increased in nonsurvivors than both survivors and normal volunteers ( P 1 =0.007, P 2 =<0.001). However, this significant increase was still observed in survivors on comparing with normal individuals. There was a correlation between endostatin and different parameters in coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Conclusion The high level of endostatin in this prospective study and its correlation with laboratory makers and clinical manifestations leads us to consider it as a valuable prognostic factor. Moreover, it can predict mortality and severity of patients. It was important to conduct a study on large scale to confirm this value.