Potent SARS‐CoV2‐specific T‐cell response in asymptomatic hemodialysis patients with hidden COVID‐19 infection history

Abstract

Background COVID‐19‐related immune responses in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) are characterized in detail by the humoral response, but their cellular immunity has not been clarified. Here, we evaluated virus‐specific T cells in parallel with serology‐related tests. Methods In this study, 104 ESRD patients at the hemodialysis ward of Imam Reza hospital at Tabriz (Iran) were enrolled. After blood sampling, SARS‐CoV2‐specific humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated by SARS‐CoV2‐specific IgM/IgG ELISA and peptide/MHCI‐Tetramers flow cytometry, respectively. Results Our results showed that 14 (13.5%) and 45 (43.3%) patients had specific SARS‐CoV2 IgM and IgG in their sera, respectively. Immunophenotyping for SARS‐CoV2‐specific CD8 + T lymphocytes revealed that 68 (65.4%) patients had these types of cells. Among SARS‐CoV2‐specific CD8 + T lymphocytes positive subjects, 13 and 43 individuals had positive results for specific SARS‐CoV2 IgM and IgG existence, respectively. Also, there was a relationship between specific SARS‐CoV2 IgM ( p = 0.031) and IgG ( p < 0.0001) existence and having SARS‐CoV2‐specific TCD8 + lymphocytes in the studied population. Conclusion Despite not having clinical symptoms, a high rate of SARS‐CoV2‐specific T‐cell response in asymptomatic ESRD patients may reveal a high burden of asymptomatic COVID‐19 infection in these patients.

Combining nano-curcumin with catechin improves COVID-19-infected patient's inflammatory conditions

“…In terms of the immune system, a decrease in lymphocyte frequency, particularly T CD4 + and CD8 + cells, causes lymphopenia, an imbalanced immune system, and hyperinflammation due to elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines [6] , [8] . The transcription factors RAR-related orphan receptor t (RORt) and IL-23, which encourage the production of inflammatory cytokines like IL-6, 17, and TNF-alpha in viral infections, have antiviral activity [9] , [10] .…”