Procoagulant Microvesicles in COVID-19 Patients: Possible Modulators of Inflammation and Prothrombotic Tendency

Hassan A Hamali,1 Muhammad Saboor,1,2 Gasim Dobie,1 Aymen M Madkhali,1 Mohammad S Akhter,1 Ali Hakamy,3 Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi,2 Denise E Jackson,4 Yahya H Matari,5 Abdullah A Mobarki1 1Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Gizan, Saudi Arabia; 2Medical Research Center, Jazan University, Gizan, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Respiratory Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Gizan, Saudi Arabia; 4Thrombosis and Vascular Diseases Laboratory, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia; 5Laboratory Department, Baish General Hospital, Gizan, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Hassan A Hamali, Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, P.O. Box 1906, Gizan, 45142, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966173295000, Email hhamali@jazanu.edu.saBackground: The hypercoagulability and thrombotic tendency in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is multifactorial, driven mainly by inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. Elevated levels of procoagulant microvesicles (MVs) and tissue factor–bearing microvesicles (TF-bearing MVs) have been observed in many diseases with thrombotic tendency. The current study aimed to measure the levels of procoagulant MVs and TF-bearing MVs in patients with COVID-19 and healthy controls and to correlate their levels with platelet counts, D-Dimer levels, and other proposed calculated inflammatory markers.Materials and Methods: Forty ICU-admitted patients with COVID-19 and 37 healthy controls were recruited in the study. Levels of procoagulant MVs and TF-bearing MVs in the plasma of the study population were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Results: COVID-19 patients had significantly elevated levels of procoagulant MVs and TF-bearing MVs as compared with healthy controls (P< 0.001). Procoagulant MVs significantly correlated with TF