Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) and Pulmonary Involvement in COVID-19 Pneumonia
Maria Antonella Zingaropoli,
Tiziana Latronico,
Patrizia Pasculli,
Giorgio Maria Masci,
Roberta Merz,
Federica Ciccone,
Federica Dominelli,
Cosmo Del Borgo,
Miriam Lichtner,
Franco Iafrate,
Gioacchino Galardo,
Francesco Pugliese,
Valeria Panebianco,
Paolo Ricci,
Carlo Catalano,
Maria Rosa Ciardi,
Grazia Maria Liuzzi,
Claudio Maria Mastroianni
Affiliations
Maria Antonella Zingaropoli
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Tiziana Latronico
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
Patrizia Pasculli
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giorgio Maria Masci
Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
Roberta Merz
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Federica Ciccone
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Federica Dominelli
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Cosmo Del Borgo
Infectious Diseases Unit, Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Sapienza, University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy
Miriam Lichtner
Infectious Diseases Unit, Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Sapienza, University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy
Franco Iafrate
Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
Gioacchino Galardo
Medical Emergency Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
Francesco Pugliese
Department of Specialist Surgery and Organ Transplantation “Paride Stefanini”, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Valeria Panebianco
Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
Paolo Ricci
Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
Carlo Catalano
Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy
Maria Rosa Ciardi
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Grazia Maria Liuzzi
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
Claudio Maria Mastroianni
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Background: The aim of the study was to longitudinally evaluate the association between MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and chest radiological findings in COVID-19 patients. Methods: COVID-19 patients were evaluated based on their hospital admission (baseline) and three months after hospital discharge (T post) and were stratified into ARDS and non-ARDS groups. As a control group, healthy donors (HD) were enrolled. Results: At the baseline, compared to HD (n = 53), COVID-19 patients (n = 129) showed higher plasma levels of MMP-9 (p p p p p = 0.0339) and TIMP-1 (p = 0.0044) and the plasma activity of MMP-2 (p = 0.0258) and MMP-9 (p = 0.0021) compared to non-ARDS was observed. A positive correlation between the plasma levels of TIMP-1 and chest computed tomography (CT) score (ρ = 0.2302, p = 0.0160) was observed. At the T post, a reduction in plasma levels of TIMP-1 (p p = 0.0088). Conclusions: The positive correlation between TIMP-1 with chest CT scores highlights its potential use as a marker of fibrotic burden. At T post, the increase in plasma levels of MMP-9 and the reduction in plasma levels of TIMP-1 suggested that inflammation and fibrosis resolution were still ongoing.
