PLoS ONE (Jan 2022)

The percentage of CD39+ monocytes is higher in pregnant COVID-19+ patients than in nonpregnant COVID-19+ patients.

  • A Cérbulo-Vázquez,
  • M García-Espinosa,
  • J C Briones-Garduño,
  • L Arriaga-Pizano,
  • E Ferat-Osorio,
  • B Zavala-Barrios,
  • G L Cabrera-Rivera,
  • P Miranda-Cruz,
  • M T García de la Rosa,
  • J L Prieto-Chávez,
  • V Rivero-Arredondo,
  • R L Madera-Sandoval,
  • A Cruz-Cruz,
  • E Salazar-Rios,
  • M E Salazar-Rios,
  • D Serrano-Molina,
  • R C De Lira-Barraza,
  • A H Villanueva-Compean,
  • A Esquivel-Pineda,
  • R Ramirez-Montes de Oca,
  • F Caldiño-Soto,
  • L A Ramírez-García,
  • G Flores-Padilla,
  • O Moreno-Álvarez,
  • G M L Guerrero-Avendaño,
  • C López-Macías

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264566
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 7
p. e0264566

Abstract

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Current medical guidelines consider pregnant women with COVID-19 to be a high-risk group. Since physiological gestation downregulates the immunological response to maintain "maternal-fetal tolerance", SARS-CoV-2 infection may constitute a potentially threatening condition to both the mother and the fetus. To establish the immune profile in pregnant COVID-19+ patients, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Pregnant women with COVID-19 (P-COVID-19+; n = 15) were analyzed and compared with nonpregnant women with COVID-19 (NP-COVID-19+; n = 15) or those with physiological pregnancy (P-COVID-19-; n = 13). Serological cytokine and chemokine concentrations, leucocyte immunophenotypes, and mononuclear leucocyte responses to polyclonal stimuli were analyzed in all groups. Higher concentrations of serological TNF-α, IL-6, MIP1b and IL-4 were observed within the P-COVID-19+ group, while cytokines and chemokines secreted by peripheral leucocytes in response to LPS, IL-6 or PMA-ionomicin were similar among the groups. Immunophenotype analysis showed a lower percentage of HLA-DR+ monocytes in P-COVID-19+ than in P-COVID-19- and a higher percentage of CD39+ monocytes in P-COVID-19+ than in NP-COVID-19+. After whole blood polyclonal stimulation, similar percentages of T cells and TNF+ monocytes between groups were observed. Our results suggest that P-COVID-19+ elicits a strong inflammatory response similar to NP-COVID19+ but also displays an anti-inflammatory response that controls the ATP/adenosine balance and prevents hyperinflammatory damage in COVID-19.