CCR2 and DPP9 expression in the peripheral blood of COVID-19 patients: Influences of the disease severity and gender

[Display omitted] •The expression levels of DPP-9 and CCR-2 substantially increased in COVID-19 patients with different forms of disease.•The expression levels of CCR2 and DDP9 are different between moderate, severe, and critical stages of disease.•The COVID-19 patients in severe stage express higher levels of CCR2 compared with other stages of disease.•The COVID-19 patients in critical stage express higher levels of DPP-9 compared with other stages of disease. Hyper-inflammatory reactions play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the severe forms of COVID-19. However, clarification of the molecular basis of the inflammatory-related factors needs more consideration. The aim was to evaluate the gene expression of two fundamental molecules contributing to the induction of inflammatory like CCR2 and DPP9 in cells from peripheral blood samples from patients with various patterns of COVID-19. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 470 patients (235 male and 235 female) with RT-qPCR-confirmed COVID-19 test exhibiting moderate, severe, and critical symptoms based on WHO criteria. 100 healthy subjects (50 male and 50 female) were also enrolled in the study as a control group. The gene expression of DPP-9 and CCR-2 was assessed in the blood samples using real-time PCR method. The COVID-19 patients in severe stage expressed higher levels of CCR2 and DPP9 compared with healthy controls. In male and female patients, the levels of CCR2 and DDP9 expression significantly differed between moderate, severe, and critical patterns (p