COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling
Background: Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), primarily affects nasal cavities by binding its spike proteins to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. This study aimed to assess inflammatory and epithelial cell...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_185_25 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849236038759743488 |
|---|---|
| author | Pranav Donkada B Vishnu Senthil Murugan Kishore Sesham Satvinder S. Bakshi Vinothkumar Kalidoss Yuvaraj Maria Francis Sankaran Ponnusamy Kasirajan |
| author_facet | Pranav Donkada B Vishnu Senthil Murugan Kishore Sesham Satvinder S. Bakshi Vinothkumar Kalidoss Yuvaraj Maria Francis Sankaran Ponnusamy Kasirajan |
| author_sort | Pranav Donkada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), primarily affects nasal cavities by binding its spike proteins to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. This study aimed to assess inflammatory and epithelial cell counts and determine their ratios in exfoliated nasal mucosal cells of COVID-19 suspected patients.
Methodology:
This cross-sectional study was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Mangalagiri, from August to October 2022, involving 75 COVID-19 suspected patients. Nasal smears were collected, stained with Papanicolaou test (PAP), and analyzed for inflammatory and epithelial cell counts. Participants were grouped as COVID-19 positive and negative based on Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) results. Genotoxicity factors were evaluated using mean and standard deviation values.
Results:
In COVID-19 positive individuals, mean cell counts for neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, mast cells, macrophages, and epithelial cells were 42.08, 6.68, 4.48, 0.84, 0.12, and 45.80, respectively. In COVID-19 negative patients, the corresponding values were 38.08, 13.76, 11.12, 2.66, 0.22, and 34.16. The inflammatory ratios for neutrophils to eosinophils and neutrophils to lymphocytes in COVID-19 positive individuals were 7.30 and 14.06, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in elevated neutrophil and epithelial cell counts and decreased eosinophil, lymphocyte, mast cell, and macrophage count.
Conclusions:
SARS-CoV-2 exhibits unique immunological alterations in nasal mucosa. The inflammatory ratios of neutrophils-to-eosinophils and neutrophils-to-lymphocytes may serve as reliable diagnostic markers for COVID-19. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ebc87e507a29429cbe3ed8f06cfaa9f9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2249-4863 2278-7135 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj-art-ebc87e507a29429cbe3ed8f06cfaa9f92025-08-20T04:02:28ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352025-07-011472861286610.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_185_25COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profilingPranav DonkadaB VishnuSenthil MuruganKishore SeshamSatvinder S. BakshiVinothkumar KalidossYuvaraj Maria FrancisSankaran Ponnusamy KasirajanBackground: Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), primarily affects nasal cavities by binding its spike proteins to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. This study aimed to assess inflammatory and epithelial cell counts and determine their ratios in exfoliated nasal mucosal cells of COVID-19 suspected patients. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Mangalagiri, from August to October 2022, involving 75 COVID-19 suspected patients. Nasal smears were collected, stained with Papanicolaou test (PAP), and analyzed for inflammatory and epithelial cell counts. Participants were grouped as COVID-19 positive and negative based on Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) results. Genotoxicity factors were evaluated using mean and standard deviation values. Results: In COVID-19 positive individuals, mean cell counts for neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, mast cells, macrophages, and epithelial cells were 42.08, 6.68, 4.48, 0.84, 0.12, and 45.80, respectively. In COVID-19 negative patients, the corresponding values were 38.08, 13.76, 11.12, 2.66, 0.22, and 34.16. The inflammatory ratios for neutrophils to eosinophils and neutrophils to lymphocytes in COVID-19 positive individuals were 7.30 and 14.06, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in elevated neutrophil and epithelial cell counts and decreased eosinophil, lymphocyte, mast cell, and macrophage count. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 exhibits unique immunological alterations in nasal mucosa. The inflammatory ratios of neutrophils-to-eosinophils and neutrophils-to-lymphocytes may serve as reliable diagnostic markers for COVID-19.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_185_25covid-19epithelial cellsinflammationnasal mucosasars-cov-2 |
| spellingShingle | Pranav Donkada B Vishnu Senthil Murugan Kishore Sesham Satvinder S. Bakshi Vinothkumar Kalidoss Yuvaraj Maria Francis Sankaran Ponnusamy Kasirajan COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care covid-19 epithelial cells inflammation nasal mucosa sars-cov-2 |
| title | COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling |
| title_full | COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling |
| title_short | COVID-19-associated changes in nasal mucosa: Insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling |
| title_sort | covid 19 associated changes in nasal mucosa insights from inflammatory and epithelial cell profiling |
| topic | covid-19 epithelial cells inflammation nasal mucosa sars-cov-2 |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_185_25 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pranavdonkada covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling AT bvishnu covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling AT senthilmurugan covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling AT kishoresesham covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling AT satvindersbakshi covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling AT vinothkumarkalidoss covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling AT yuvarajmariafrancis covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling AT sankaranponnusamykasirajan covid19associatedchangesinnasalmucosainsightsfrominflammatoryandepithelialcellprofiling |