Plasma CXCL13 and fibrosis biomarkers in COVID-19 compared with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

N Nicolas Gendron (Department of Hematology, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP Centre–Université Paris Cité, Paris) C Carla Rial C Clément R. Massonnaud A An Nguyen A Aurélien Philippe K Katharina Rus H Hilario Nunes O Olivier Sanchez (Université Paris Cité, Paris) N Nathan Peiffer-Smadja M Maya Hites J Jeanne Rancic Y Yazdan Yazdanpanah (Department of Infectious Diseases, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital) S Sandrine Couffin-Cadièrgues H Hélène Esperou B Bernd Lamprecht M Michael Joannidis A Alexander Egle R Richard Greil A Antoine Altdorfer V Vincent Fraipont L Leila Belkhir D David Bougon F Félix Djossou L Loïc Epelboin J Jean Dellamonica C Charles-Hugo Marquette C Claire Andrejak Y Yoann Zerbib C Catherine Chirouze A Alexandre Boyer C Charles Cazanave D Didier Gruson D Denis Malvy P Pascal Andreu J Jean-Pierre Quenot N Nicolas Terzi K Karine Faure C Cyrille Chabartier V Vincent Le Moing K Kada Klouche T Tristan Ferry F Florent Valour B Benjamin Gaborit E Emmanuel Canet P Paul Le Turnier D David Boutoille F Fabrice Bani-Sadr F François Benezit M Matthieu Revest C Claire Cameli A Amandine Caro M Marie-Julie Ngo Um Tegue Y Yves Le Tulzo B Bruno Laviolle F Fabrice Laine G Guillaume Thiery F Ferhat Meziani Y Yves Hansmann W Walid Oulehri C Charles Tacquard F François Vardon-Bounes B Béatrice Riu-Poulenc M Marlène Murris-Espin L Louis Bernard D Denis Garot O Olivier Hinschberger M Marc Martinot C Cédric Bruel B Benoit Pilmis O Olivier Bouchaud P Paul Loubet C Claire Roger X Xavier Monnet S Samy Figueiredo V Valérie Godard J Jean-Paul Mira M Marie Lachatre S Solen Kernéis J Jérôme Aboab N Naomi Sayre F Flora Crockett D David Lebeaux A Audrey Buffet J Jean-Luc Diehl A Aurélie Fayol J Jean-Sébastien Hulot M Marion Livrozet A Armand Mekontso-Dessap C Cécile Ficko F François Stefan J Jérôme Le Pavec J Julien Mayaux H Hafid Ait-Oufella J Jean-Michel Molina G Gilles Pialoux M Murielle Fartoukh J Julien Textoris M Marie Brossard A Audrey Essat E Emmanuelle Netzer Y Yves Riault M Michaël Ghislain L Léa Beniguel M Marion Genin L Lina Gouichiche C Camille Betard L Laurence Wittkop S Sandra Braz J João Miguel Ferreira Ribeiro R Roberto Roncon Albuquerque M Marc Berna M Maya Alexandre F France Mentré F Florence Ader D Dominique Israel-Biet O Olivier Espitia D David M. Smadja

Abstract

Abstract COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global health, particularly evident in the detection of lung lesions via chest computed tomography scans. This study investigates the role of biomarkers in lung injury among COVID-19 patients and patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This single-center prospective study included 154 hospitalized and 10 outpatient COVID-19 patients, 62 IPF patients, and 40 healthy volunteers, and evaluated biomarkers of alveolar epithelial cell dysfunction, extracellular matrix (ECM) and fibroblast dysfunction, and macrophage/monocyte activation (Galectin-3, CXCL13). Findings were further validated in an independant confirmation cohort (DisCoVeRy trial). COVID-19 patients had higher levels of biomarkers compared to healthy controls, except for SP-D. Compared to IPF patients, COVID-19 patients had significantly higher plasma levels of OPN, Galectin-3 and CXCL13 at admission. Elevated CXCL13 and Galectin-3 levels in COVID-19 were associated with greater lung injury. Multivariate logistic regression and Kaplan Meier analysis confirmed the role of CXCL13 in predicting severe lung injury (odd ratio 3.17, 95% CI 1.03–9.76) and in-hospital mortality (p = 0.04), with consistent results observed in the confirmation cohort. COVID-19 is characterized by increased ECM and macrophage activation biomarkers compared with IPF. CXCL13 may serve as a relevant biomarker for assessing lung injury and improving risk stratification at hospital admission.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 1, Issue 1
Published June 25, 2026
ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Scientific Reports

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2045-2322 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (117)

N

Nicolas Gendron

Department of Hematology, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, APHP Centre–Université Paris Cité, Paris

C

Carla Rial

C

Clément R. Massonnaud

A

An Nguyen

A

Aurélien Philippe

K

Katharina Rus

H

Hilario Nunes

O

Olivier Sanchez

Université Paris Cité, Paris

N

Nathan Peiffer-Smadja

M

Maya Hites

J

Jeanne Rancic

Y

Yazdan Yazdanpanah

Department of Infectious Diseases, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital

S

Sandrine Couffin-Cadièrgues

H

Hélène Esperou

B

Bernd Lamprecht

M

Michael Joannidis

A

Alexander Egle

R

Richard Greil

A

Antoine Altdorfer

V

Vincent Fraipont

L

Leila Belkhir

D

David Bougon

F

Félix Djossou

L

Loïc Epelboin

J

Jean Dellamonica

C

Charles-Hugo Marquette

C

Claire Andrejak

Y

Yoann Zerbib

C

Catherine Chirouze

A

Alexandre Boyer

C

Charles Cazanave

D

Didier Gruson

D

Denis Malvy

P

Pascal Andreu

J

Jean-Pierre Quenot

N

Nicolas Terzi

K

Karine Faure

C

Cyrille Chabartier

V

Vincent Le Moing

K

Kada Klouche

T

Tristan Ferry

F

Florent Valour

B

Benjamin Gaborit

E

Emmanuel Canet

P

Paul Le Turnier

D

David Boutoille

F

Fabrice Bani-Sadr

F

François Benezit

M

Matthieu Revest

C

Claire Cameli

A

Amandine Caro

M

Marie-Julie Ngo Um Tegue

Y

Yves Le Tulzo

B

Bruno Laviolle

F

Fabrice Laine

G

Guillaume Thiery

F

Ferhat Meziani

Y

Yves Hansmann

W

Walid Oulehri

C

Charles Tacquard

F

François Vardon-Bounes

B

Béatrice Riu-Poulenc

M

Marlène Murris-Espin

L

Louis Bernard

D

Denis Garot

O

Olivier Hinschberger

M

Marc Martinot

C

Cédric Bruel

B

Benoit Pilmis

O

Olivier Bouchaud

P

Paul Loubet

C

Claire Roger

X

Xavier Monnet

S

Samy Figueiredo

V

Valérie Godard

J

Jean-Paul Mira

M

Marie Lachatre

S

Solen Kernéis

J

Jérôme Aboab

N

Naomi Sayre

F

Flora Crockett

D

David Lebeaux

A

Audrey Buffet

J

Jean-Luc Diehl

A

Aurélie Fayol

J

Jean-Sébastien Hulot

M

Marion Livrozet

A

Armand Mekontso-Dessap

C

Cécile Ficko

F

François Stefan

J

Jérôme Le Pavec

J

Julien Mayaux

H

Hafid Ait-Oufella

J

Jean-Michel Molina

G

Gilles Pialoux

M

Murielle Fartoukh

J

Julien Textoris

M

Marie Brossard

A

Audrey Essat

E

Emmanuelle Netzer

Y

Yves Riault

M

Michaël Ghislain

L

Léa Beniguel

M

Marion Genin

L

Lina Gouichiche

C

Camille Betard

L

Laurence Wittkop

S

Sandra Braz

J

João Miguel Ferreira Ribeiro

R

Roberto Roncon Albuquerque

M

Marc Berna

M

Maya Alexandre

F

France Mentré

F

Florence Ader

D

Dominique Israel-Biet

O

Olivier Espitia

D

David M. Smadja