Soluble PD-L1 in blood correlates positively with neutrophil and negatively with lymphocyte mRNA markers and implies adverse sepsis outcome

Sepsis causes a myriad of immunological reactions that result in life-threatening alterations in the human body. Immunosuppression in sepsis is partly attributed to the programmed death receptor (PD-1) and its associated ligand (PD-L1) via the regulation of lymphocytes and neutrophils. Although the soluble forms of these proteins (i.e., sPD-1 and sPD-L1, respectively) are recognized as possible sepsis biomarkers, their functional implications are yet to be elucidated. Our research assessed the correlation between sPD-1 and sPD-L1 and blood mRNA markers and sepsis outcome. Blood samples of septic patients of urogenital origin versus control patients (both groups: n = 18) were analyzed. Blood serum sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The whole blood mRNA concentrations of PD-1, PD-L1, neutrophil markers (CEACAM8 and MPO), and T-lymphocyte markers (TCRβ, CD4 and CD8) were determined via reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). sPD-L1 levels were significantly increased in septic patients when compared to the controls, whereas sPD-1 levels were unaltered. Patients with high sPD-L1 levels, as dichotomized to the median, had a significantly shorter survival rate than those with low sPD-L1 levels. The sensitivity/specificity characteristics of sPD-L1 proved significant for sepsis detection. Furthermore, sPD-L1 correlated with the mRNA concentrations of PD-L1, CEACAM, and MPO, as well as major inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and procalcitonin). However, sPD-L1 negatively correlated with TCRβ, CD4, and CD8 mRNAs. sPD-L1 was found to be significantly increased in septic patients. Notably, sPD-L1 correlated with PD-L1 mRNA and neutrophil markers and was indicative of adverse outcomes. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12026-022-09302-y.