CHANGES IN SERUM NITRIC OXIDE LEVELS IN COVID-19 PATIENTS

Objective: Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of the COVID-19 pandemic that is rapidly affecting the entire world both in terms of health and economy, belongs to the beta coronavirus family. Although oxidative stress imbalance occurs in COVID-19 patients, how changing nitric oxide (NO) levels affect COVID-19 pathogenesis is not fully understood. For this purpose, NO levels were evaluated in the serum of COVID-19 patients. Material and Methods: A total of 50 adult COVID-19 patients and 32 healthy control individuals were included in the study. COVID-19 patients were classified as Mild-COVID-19, Moderate-COVID-19, and Intensive Care-COVID-19 according to national guidelines. NO concentrations were measured spectrophotometrically from serum samples of all patients. Biochemical data were also collected. Results: NO levels were lower in the patient group compared to the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: The variability in NO levels suggests that it may be a result of immune inflammation and vascular dysfunction in COVID-19 patients.