Clinical and diagnostic significance of oxidative stress in post-COVID olfactory dysfunction associated with acute rhinosinusitis

Y. V. Svitlychna; A. V. Lupyr; N. О. Shushliapina

doi:10.15421/0225188

Y. V. Svitlychna Kharkiv National Medical University
A. V. Lupyr Kharkiv National Medical University
N. О. Shushliapina Kharkiv National Medical University

Keywords: COVID-19, anosmia, eryptosis, erythrocytes, leukocytes, reactive oxygen species, rhinosinusitis.

Abstract

Anosmia is a common long-term complication of COVID-19. Its development is poorly understood. In the current study, the impact of rhinosinusitis-associated olfactory dysfunction in post-COVID-19 patients on the redox metabolism of circulating blood cells was investigated. The patients enrolled for the study suffered from rhinosinusitis with post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction and were tested by the Sniffin’ Sticks test to determine the olfactory function (normosmia, hyposmia, and anosmia). Thereafter, flow cytometry-based detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in circulating granulocytes, lymphocytes and erythrocytes was performed using a ROS-sensitive probe (2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate). The degree of e ryptosis was additionally detected by analysis of phospholipid membrane scrambling (Annexin V-FITC staining). According to the r e sults of olfactometry, anosmia was identified in 20 patients and hyposmia in 53 patients. Among the 57 patients who reported recovery of olfactory function, hyposmia was observed in 86% of cases on the threshold test and in 75% on the identification test. Our findings suggest that anosmia in post-COVID-19 patients is associated with elevated intracellular ROS levels in viable circ u lating granulocytes, lymphocytes and erythrocytes. Of note, elevation was found to be statistically significant compared to both normosmic and hyposmic patients. Notably, eryptosis induction was not observed in anosmic patients even on the background of oxidative damage to erythrocytes. Anosmia in post-COVID-19 promotes redox homeostasis imbalance in blood granulocytes, lymphocytes and erythrocytes, which might be of diagnostic significance.

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