IMMUNOGLOBULIN SUPERFAMILY CELL ADHESION MOLECULES IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19

The aim of the research. To assess the content of intercellular adhesion molecules from the immunoglobulin superfamily: ICAM-1, ICAM-2, ICAM-3, NCAM, VCAM-1, PECAM-1 in patients with COVID-19-associated lung damage and to identify the presence of a relationship between their concentration and the severity of the process. Materials and methods. The study included 200 patients with COVID-19-associated lung damage 1 month after discharge from monohospitals in Chita. Patients were divided into groups of 50 people, depending on the degree of lung damage based on the results of computed tomography: Group 1 (CT-1); Group 2 (CT-2); Group 3 (CT-3); Group 4 (CT-4). The study included patients iwhose diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed by detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using polymerase chain reaction. The control group included 56 relatively healthy individuals who had not previously suffered from coronavirus infection or other acute respiratory diseases in the past 3 months. All study groups were comparable in terms of gender and age. The content of intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, ICAM-2, ICAM-3, NCAM, VCAM-1, PECAM-1) in blood serum was determined by immunochemical analysis. Results. As a result of the work, an increased content of intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, ICAM2, ICAM-3, NCAM, VCAM-1, PECAM-1) was revealed in the studied groups of patients with COVID-19associated lung damage compared to the control group. Significant differences were also found between groups of patients with different levels of lung damage according to CT data, when studying some intercellular adhesion molecules. Conclusion. The levels of intercellular adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily in the blood, which are markers of pathological activation of the endothelium, reflect the severity of lung tissue damage against the background of coronavirus infection, including during the convalescence period.