Tag Archives: COVID-19
Serum levels of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone, vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in COVID-19 patients
S. Z. Hussein1, M. A. Abdalla2*
1Clinical Biochemistry Unit, Salah Aldeen Health Directorate, Tikrit, Iraq;
2Department of Human Anatomy, Tikrit University College of Medicine, Tikrit, Iraq;
*e-mail: dr.mohammad68@tu.edu.iq
Received: 04 April 2021; Accepted: 12 November 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic occurred and quickly spread throughout the world. To improve the state of COVID-19 patients, it is important to identify the possible clinical differential diagnostic markers and their correlation with the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, the serum level of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in the serum of COVID-19 patients were analyzed. Blood samples were collected from 60 patients who attended Isolated Hospital in Tikrit City/Iraq from September to December 2020 and diagnosed by RT-PCR as COVID-19 positive and from 30 healthy individuals. It was shown that COVID-19 patients revealed high serum levels of α-MSH as compared with healthy individuals but low serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium which may be recommended as supplements for those patients to increase the innate immune response.
Production of recombinant SARS-COV-2 proteins and diphtheria toxoid CRM197-based fusion
O. I. Krynina1, S. I. Romaniuk1, O. B. Gorbatiuk1,2,
O. H. Korchynskyi1,3,4, А. V. Rebriiev1, Ya. S. Kulyk1,
Ye. O. Kozadaieva1, A. A. Siromolot1,5, M. M. Guzyk1,
D. V. Kolybo1*, S. V. Komisarenko1
1Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
2State Institute of Genetic and Regenerative Medicine, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
3Centre for Innovative Research in Medical and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland;
4S. Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies, Lviv, Ukraine;
5ESC “Institute of Biology and Medicine”, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine;
*e-mail: kolibo@biochem.kiev.ua
Received: 10 October 2021; Accepted: 12 November 2021
The quickly emerged global COVID-19 pandemic raised a desperate need in the development of protecting vaccines targeting this disease. Therefore, a generation of effective producers of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins became an urgent task. Its resolving contributes to the study of functional SARS-CoV-2 properties, as well as will allow developing the domestic COVID-19 vaccine in Ukraine, thus playing an important strategic role in tackling the pandemics. The aim of the study was to generate prokaryotic and eukaryotic producers of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins and to isolate nucleocapsid (N) protein, receptor-binding domain (RBD) of spike (S) protein, as well as RBD fused to the carrier – diphtheria toxoid CRM197. For this purpose, appropriate genetic constructs, in particular, replication deficient recombinant AdvC5-based adenoviral vectors expressing the SARS-CoV-2 proteins and CRM197-fused conjugate were created through methods of molecular biology and genetic engineering. Restriction analysis and/or DNA sequencing confirmed that we created the correct constructs. Immobilized metal affinity chromatography was used to purify the recombinant proteins. Compliance of their properties was confirmed by the results from polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, immunoenzymatic assay and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. As a result, we generated E. coli Rosetta (DE3) bacterial strain and HEK293 cell line producing recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins and CRM197-based fusion. In addition, pure N protein, RBD of S protein and RBD-CRM197 fusion protein were isolated. The obtained recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins can be used to study immunogenic and antigenic properties of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Cells producing recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins and RBD-CRM197 fusion protein are able to provide cheap and safe synthesis of the antigenic substances for domestic development and production of immunodiagnostics for COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines in Ukraine.
Determination the binding ability of N-acetyl cysteine and its derivatives with SARS-COV-2 main protease using molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies
A. H. Shntaif*, N. A. Alrazzak, A. Bader, A. M. Almarzoqi
University of Babylon, College of Science for Women, Iraq;
*e-mail: ahmed1979sh@gmail.com
Received: 25 May 2021; Accepted: 22 September 2021
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) drug has been used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in clinical practice and more recently in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Using docking analysis and molecular dynamics studies we compare the interaction between of N-acetyl cysteine and its derivatives with SARS-COV-2 main protease (Mpro) which is essential for processing the proteins translated from the viral RNA. The results obtained from this study showed that NAC benzyl ester (NACBn), NAC ethyl ester (NACEt) and NAC amide (NACA) could bind with SARS-COV-2 protease better than NAC drug.
A vicious circle between oxidative stress and cytokine storm in acute respiratory distress syndrome pathogenesis at COVID-19 infection
G. H. Meftahi1, Z. Bahari1,2, Z. Jangravi3,4*, M. Iman3,5
1Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
2Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
3Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
4Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
5Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
*e-mail: jangraviz89@gmail.com
Received: 31 August 2020; Accepted: 17 December 2020
In early December 2019, the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Since then, it has propagated rapidly and turned into a major global crisis due to the high virus spreading. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is considered as a defining cause of the death cases. Cytokine storm and oxidative stress are the main players of ARDS development during respiratory virus infections. In this review, we discussed molecular mechanisms of a fatal vicious circle between oxidative stress and cytokine storm during COVID-19 infection. We also described how aging can inflame the vicious circle.