TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the recovery of peripheral blood mononuclear cells by density gradient
AU - Manunta, Maria D.I.
AU - Lamorte, Giuseppe
AU - Ferrari, Francesca
AU - Trombetta, Elena
AU - Tirone, Mario
AU - Bianco, Cristiana
AU - Cattaneo, Alessandra
AU - Santoro, Luigi
AU - Baselli, Guido
AU - Brasca, Manuela
AU - Ostadreza, Mahnoosh
AU - Erba, Elisa
AU - Gori, Andrea
AU - Bandera, Alessandra
AU - Porretti, Laura
AU - Valenti, Luca V.C.
AU - Prati, Daniele
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was funded by a grant “COVID-19 Biobank” from the Scientific Direction, Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy (LV and DP). The authors thank Dr. Anna Chiara Migliorini -U.O.C. Haematology and Dr. Marco Maggioni - U.O.C. Pathological Anatomy - Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, for the use of their equipment and for helpful suggestions. We are also grateful all the colleagues and co-workers of the Milano Cord Blood Bank, Processing Facility and Biobank POLI-MI for their support. The authors greatly appreciate the collaboration of Drs Valeria Pastore, Roberta Massafra and Teresa Itri, the staff of Transfusion Medicine and Hematology and the all the personnel in the COVID wards and the COVID-19 Network, who made the sample collection possible. Our sincere and deepest gratitude goes also to the blood donors and the COVID-19 patients who, in spite of the difficulties of the moment, gave their consent for research studies and biobanking.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which is characterised by a hyperinflammatory response that plays a major role in determining the respiratory and immune-mediated complications of this condition. While isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from whole blood of COVID-19 patients by density gradient centrifugation, we noticed some changes in the floating properties and in the sedimentation of the cells on density medium. Investigating this further, we found that in early phase COVID-19 patients, characterised by reduced circulating lymphocytes and monocytes, the PBMC fraction contained surprisingly high levels of neutrophils. Furthermore, the neutrophil population exhibited alterations in the cell size and in the internal complexity, consistent with the presence of low density neutrophils (LDNs) and immature forms, which may explain the shift seen in the floating abilities and that may be predictive of the severity of the disease. The percentage of this subset of neutrophils found in the PBMC band was rather spread (35.4 ± 27.2%, with a median 28.8% and IQR 11.6–56.1, Welch’s t-test early phase COVID-19 versus blood donor healthy controls P < 0.0001). Results confirm the presence of an increased number of LDNs in patients with early stage COVID-19, which correlates with disease severity and may be recovered by centrifugation on a density gradient together with PBMCs.
AB - SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which is characterised by a hyperinflammatory response that plays a major role in determining the respiratory and immune-mediated complications of this condition. While isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from whole blood of COVID-19 patients by density gradient centrifugation, we noticed some changes in the floating properties and in the sedimentation of the cells on density medium. Investigating this further, we found that in early phase COVID-19 patients, characterised by reduced circulating lymphocytes and monocytes, the PBMC fraction contained surprisingly high levels of neutrophils. Furthermore, the neutrophil population exhibited alterations in the cell size and in the internal complexity, consistent with the presence of low density neutrophils (LDNs) and immature forms, which may explain the shift seen in the floating abilities and that may be predictive of the severity of the disease. The percentage of this subset of neutrophils found in the PBMC band was rather spread (35.4 ± 27.2%, with a median 28.8% and IQR 11.6–56.1, Welch’s t-test early phase COVID-19 versus blood donor healthy controls P < 0.0001). Results confirm the presence of an increased number of LDNs in patients with early stage COVID-19, which correlates with disease severity and may be recovered by centrifugation on a density gradient together with PBMCs.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41598-021-83950-2
DO - 10.1038/s41598-021-83950-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 33649400
AN - SCOPUS:85101809386
VL - 11
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
SN - 2045-2322
IS - 1
M1 - 4904
ER -