Changes of LipoxinA ₄ Levels Following Early Hospital Management of Patients with Non-Severe COVID-19: A Pilot Study

LipoxinA ₄ (LXA ₄ ) is an anti-inflammatory biomarker participating in the active process of inflammation resolution, which is suggested to be effective on infectious and inflammatory diseases like COVID-19. In this study, we hypothesized that LXA ₄ levels may increase following COVID-19 treatment and are even more accurate than commonly used inflammatory markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), c-reactive protein (CRP), and ferritin. To test this hypothesis, a pilot study was conducted with 31 adult hospitalized patients with non-severe COVID-19. LXA ₄ levels were measured at the baseline and 48-72 hours later. Accordingly, ESR and CRP levels were collected on the first day of hospitalization. Moreover, the maximum serum ferritin levels were collected during the five days. LXA ₄ levels significantly increased at 48-72 hours compared to the baseline. ESR, CRP, and ferritin levels were positively correlated with the increased LXA4. In contrast, aging was shown to negatively correlate with the increased LXA ₄ levels. LXA ₄ may be known as a valuable marker to assess the treatment response among non-elderly patients with non-severe COVID-19. Furthermore, LXA ₄ could be considered as a potential treatment option under inflammatory conditions. Further studies are necessary to clarify LXA ₄ role in COVID-19 pathogenesis, as well as the balance between such pro-resolving mediators and inflammatory parameters.