Plasma N-Cleaved Galectin-9 Is a Surrogate Marker for Determining the Severity of COVID-19 and Monitoring the Therapeutic Effects of Tocilizumab.

ABSTRACT: Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is known to contribute to antiviral responses in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Increased circulating Gal-9 in COVID-19 is associated with COVID-19 severity. In a while, the linker-peptide of Gal-9 is susceptible to proteolysis that can cause the change or loss of Gal-9 activity. Here, we measured plasma levels of N-cleaved-Gal9, which is Gal9 carbohydrate-recognition domain at the N-terminus (NCRD) with attached truncated linker peptide that differs in length depending on the type of proteases, in COVID-19. We also investigated the time course of plasma N-cleaved-Gal9 levels in severe COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab (TCZ). As a result, we observed an increase in plasma N-cleaved-Gal9 levels in COVID-19 and its higher levels in COVID-19 with pneumonia compared to

SUBMITTER: Iwasaki-Hozumi H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9964849 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature