THE ROLE OF HOMOCYSTEINE AS A BIOMARKER OF CYTOKINE STORM IN IMMUNOONCOLOGY AND THERAPY OF COVID-19

Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that can act as an important biomarker of inflammatory processes, including cytokine storm, observed in various pathological conditions such as cancer and COVID-19. In the conditions of the cytokine storm characteristic of severe forms of COVID-19 and progressive stages of cancer, elevated homocysteine levels can increase oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions, which, in turn, exacerbates tissue and organ damage. Studies show that homocysteine can play a significant role in the pathogenesis of these conditions, affecting the vascular and immune systems. Thus, monitoring of homocysteine levels is important for the diagnosis, prognosis and development of new therapeutic strategies in the field of immuno-oncology and treatment of COVID-19.