Temporal associations of plasma levels of the secreted phospholipase A₂ family and mortality in severe COVID‐19

Abstract

Previous research suggests that group IIA‐secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2‐IIA) plays a role in and predicts lethal COVID‐19 disease. The current study reanalyzed a longitudinal proteomic data set to determine the temporal relationship between levels of several members of a family of sPLA2 isoforms and the severity of COVID‐19 in 214 ICU patients. The levels of six secreted PLA2 isoforms, sPLA2‐IIA, sPLA2‐V, sPLA2‐X, sPLA2‐IB, sPLA2‐IIC, and sPLA2‐XVI, increased over the first 7 ICU days in those who succumbed to the disease but attenuated over the same time period in survivors. In contrast, a reversed pattern in sPLA2‐IID and sPLA2‐XIIB levels over 7 days suggests a protective role of these two isoforms. Furthermore, decision tree models demonstrated that sPLA2‐IIA outperformed top‐ranked cytokines and chemokines as a predictor of patient outcome. Taken together, proteomic analysis revealed temporal sPLA2 patterns that reflect the critical roles of sPLA2 isoforms in severe COVID‐19 disease.