Aslan, Elif SibelAydin, HueseyinTekin, Yusuf KenanKeles, SamiWhite, Kenneth N.Hekim, Nezih2024-10-262024-10-2620230301-48511573-4978https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-08221-3https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12418/30263Background Due to the growing evidence of the importance of iron status in immune responses, the biomarkers of iron metabolism are of interest in novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present prospective study was carried out to compare iron status indicated by levels of ferritin with the levels of two novel biomarkers related to iron homeostasis, hephaestin and hypoxia-inducible factors-1 (HIF-1 alpha) in the serum of patients with COVID-19 in comparison with a control group.Methods and results Blood samples from 34 COVID-19 patients and from 43 healthy volunteers were collected and the levels of HEPH and HIF-1 alpha were measured by ELISA and compared with levels of serum ferritin. COVID-19 patients had higher serum levels of ferritin than those levels in control group (P < 0.0001). Conversely levels of HIF-1 alpha and HEPH in the COVID-19 group were significantly lower than those of control group (P < 0.0001 for both). An inverse correlation between hephaestin and ferritin as well as between HIF-1 alpha and ferritin was found among all subjects (P < 0.0001), and among COVID-19 patients, but not to statistical significance.Conclusion Levels of hephaestin and HIF-1 alpha were found to be inversely related levels of ferritin across all participants in the study, and to our knowledge this is the first report of hephaestin and HIF-1 alpha as potential markers of iron status. Further studies are needed to corroborate the findings, utilizing a broader range of markers to monitor inflammatory as well as iron status.en10.1007/s11033-022-08221-3info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessCOVID-19HephaestinHypoxia inducible factor 1-alfa (HIF-1 alpha)Iron metabolismFerritinArticle50324782471366001082-s2.0-85145563051Q2WOS:000907795000001Q3