New research has actually found a link in between increased COVID-19 seriousness and higher blood levels of neutrophil extracellular traps (Webs). NETs normally help beat infections, however in some COVID-19 cases, they may have something to do with disease seriousness.
In a new study, researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Northwell Health in New York City, and Cold Spring Harbor Lab, likewise in New york city, NY, have made a discovery that could help advance researchers’ knowledge about how COVID-19 progresses.
Their study paper, which appears in the journal JCI Insight, reports a link in between experiencing a serious form of COVID-19 and having increased levels of Internet in the blood. Internet are networks of fibers comprised of leukocyte DNA and proteins.
Webs have generated a lot of interest in the research study of the immune system and inflammatory reactions. This is since they can act like a double edged sword– that is, they usually help battle infections, but often, they can end up doing more harm than great.
Internet are extracellular networks of fibers that contain the DNA of neutrophils, a kind of white blood cell whose main job is to respond to infections.
These networks form as a result of a specific type of cell death called NETosis, which, the researchers describe, is “induced by bacterial breakdown products and inflammatory stimuli.”