Panoramic snapshot of serum soluble mediator interplay in pregnant women with convalescent COVID-19: an exploratory study

IntroductionSARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy can induce changes in the maternal immune response, with effects on pregnancy outcome and offspring. This is a cross-sectional observational study designed to characterize the immunological status of pregnant women with convalescent COVID-19 at distinct pregnancy trimesters. The study focused on providing a clear snapshot of the interplay among serum soluble mediators. MethodsA sample of 141 pregnant women from all prenatal periods (1(st), 2(nd) and 3(rd) trimesters) comprised patients with convalescent SARS-CoV-2 infection at 3-20 weeks after symptoms onset (COVID, n=89) and a control group of pre-pandemic non-infected pregnant women (HC, n=52). Chemokine, pro-inflammatory/regulatory cytokine and growth factor levels were quantified by a high-throughput microbeads array. ResultsIn the HC group, most serum soluble mediators progressively decreased towards the 2(nd) and 3(rd) trimesters of pregnancy, while higher chemokine, cytokine and growth factor levels were observed in the COVID patient group. Serum soluble mediator signatures and heatmap analysis pointed out that the major increase observed in the COVID group related to pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-12, IFN-gamma and IL-17). A larger set of biomarkers displayed an increased COVID/HC ratio towards the 2(nd) (3x increase) and the 3(rd) (3x to 15x increase) trimesters. Integrative network analysis demonstrated that HC pregnancy evolves with decreasing connectivity between pairs of serum soluble mediators towards the 3(rd) trimester. Although the COVID group exhibited a similar profile, the number of connections was remarkably lower throughout the pregnancy. Meanwhile, IL-1Ra, IL-10 and GM-CSF presented a preserved number of correlations (>= 5 strong correlations in HC and COVID), IL-17, FGF-basic and VEGF lost connectivity throughout the pregnancy. IL-6 and CXCL8 were included in a set of acquired attributes, named COVID-selective (>= 5 strong correlations in COVID and <5 in HC) observed at the 3(rd) pregnancy trimester. Discussion and conclusionFrom an overall perspective, a pronounced increase in serum levels of soluble mediators with decreased network interplay between them demonstrated an imbalanced immune response in convalescent COVID-19 infection during pregnancy that may contribute to the management of, or indeed recovery from, late complications in the post-symptomatic phase of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women.

Automated summary

This study aimed to characterize the immunological status of pregnant women with convalescent COVID-19 at different pregnancy trimesters. The results showed that pregnant women with COVID-19 had higher levels of chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors compared to the control group. The study suggests an imbalanced immune response during convalescent COVID-19 infection in pregnant women, which may contribute to late complications in the post-symptomatic phase.