Worse Disease Prognosis Is Associated to an Increase of Platelet-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 Patients

Abstract

Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PLT-EVs), the most abundant circulating EVs, have been found to be increased in several human diseases, including viral infections. Recently, we documented that PLT-EV counts are higher in SARS-CoV-2+ patients, enrolled during the first two waves of COVID-19, occurred in Italy last year, and we suggested PLT-EVs as a biomarker of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The present study is aimed at testing the ability of PLT-EV levels, measured at hospital admission and within one week of hospitalization, to predict patient's outcome. We applied an easy, fast, and reliable method, based on flow cytometry, for the detection of PLT-EVs in unmanipulated blood samples. In a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 patients, enrolled during the third wave of COVID-19 in Italy, we confirmed that PLT-EV counts are higher in comparison to healthy controls. Moreover, their number is not affected by prehospitalization treatment neither with heparin nor with steroids that are recommended by WHO guidelines. Noteworthy, we identified two pattern of patients, those who increased their PTL-EV level during first week and those reducing it. The former group representented more compromised patients, with higher 4C score, and unfavorable outcome. In conclusion, our new findings would suggest that a worse evolution of the disease is linked with increasing PLT-EV levels in the week after hospital admission.