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Bar-Joseph H, Raz Y, Eldar-Boock A, Michaan N, Angel Y, Saiag E, Nemerovsky L, Ben-Ami I, Shalgi R, Grisaru D. The direct effect of SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccination on human ovarian granulosa cells explains menstrual irregularities. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:117. [PMID: 38926432 PMCID: PMC11208497 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00911-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Following administration of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, many women worldwide reported short-term menstrual irregularities. Although menstrual bleeding, "the fifth vital sign", is experienced by more than 300 million people on any given day worldwide, these changes were only partially studied. Irregular periods are important well beyond fertility and the discomfort they impose; they are associated with the risk of cardiovascular morbidity, chronic diseases, and premature mortality. Pre-clinical examination of the vaccine polymeric envelope indicates its accumulation in the ovaries. The somatic endocrine cells of the ovarian follicle - the granulosa cells (GCs)-participate in the strict hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) feedback loop that governs the menstrual cycle via endocrine and paracrine regulators, as AMH and Inhibins. We aimed to unravel the direct effect of the COVID-19 vaccine on GCs and link their post-vaccine activity to changes in menstrual patterns. Human primary GCs exposed in-vitro to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2, demonstrated no change in their viability but altered mRNA transcripts, specifically of the regulatory key factors: InhibinB was upregulated, whereas AMH was downregulated. We further examined pre- and post-vaccination blood samples from individual women and found a 2-3 folds change in the post-vaccination FSH/InhibinB protein level ratio, compared to their pre-vaccination values. This altered expression of InhibinB could significantly impact the HPO axis in vaccinated women and may ultimately influence the endometrium cyclicity, manifested clinically by the commonly reported changes in menstrual bleeding patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Bar-Joseph
- TMCR Unit, The Veterinary Service Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Yael Raz
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel. Affiliated to the Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Anat Eldar-Boock
- TMCR Unit, The Veterinary Service Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Nadav Michaan
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel. Affiliated to the Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yoel Angel
- Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, The Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences and the Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Luba Nemerovsky
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, The Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ido Ben-Ami
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IVF and Infertility Unit, Sha'are Zedek Medical Center, The Hebrew University Medical School of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9103102, Israel
| | - Ruth Shalgi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, The Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Dan Grisaru
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel. Affiliated to the Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Chiles JW. A Means to an End(othelium): Using Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell 'Omics to Peer into the Pulmonary Vasculature. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2024; 21:852-853. [PMID: 38819138 PMCID: PMC11160127 DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.202403-257ed] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joe W Chiles
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
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Constantinescu-Bercu A, Lobiuc A, Căliman-Sturdza OA, Oiţă RC, Iavorschi M, Pavăl NE, Șoldănescu I, Dimian M, Covasa M. Long COVID: Molecular Mechanisms and Detection Techniques. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:408. [PMID: 38203577 PMCID: PMC10778767 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), has emerged as a significant health concern following the COVID-19 pandemic. Molecular mechanisms underlying the occurrence and progression of long COVID include viral persistence, immune dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, and neurological involvement, and highlight the need for further research to develop targeted therapies for this condition. While a clearer picture of the clinical symptomatology is shaping, many molecular mechanisms are yet to be unraveled, given their complexity and high level of interaction with other metabolic pathways. This review summarizes some of the most important symptoms and associated molecular mechanisms that occur in long COVID, as well as the most relevant molecular techniques that can be used in understanding the viral pathogen, its affinity towards the host, and the possible outcomes of host-pathogen interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adela Constantinescu-Bercu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences, “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (A.C.-B.); (O.A.C.-S.); (M.I.); (N.-E.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Andrei Lobiuc
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences, “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (A.C.-B.); (O.A.C.-S.); (M.I.); (N.-E.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Olga Adriana Căliman-Sturdza
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences, “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (A.C.-B.); (O.A.C.-S.); (M.I.); (N.-E.P.); (M.C.)
- Suceava Emergency Clinical County Hospital, 720224 Suceava, Romania
| | - Radu Cristian Oiţă
- Integrated Center for Research, Development and Innovation for Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies, Manufacturing and Control Distributed Systems (MANSiD), Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (R.C.O.); (I.Ș.); (M.D.)
| | - Monica Iavorschi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences, “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (A.C.-B.); (O.A.C.-S.); (M.I.); (N.-E.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Naomi-Eunicia Pavăl
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences, “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (A.C.-B.); (O.A.C.-S.); (M.I.); (N.-E.P.); (M.C.)
| | - Iuliana Șoldănescu
- Integrated Center for Research, Development and Innovation for Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies, Manufacturing and Control Distributed Systems (MANSiD), Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (R.C.O.); (I.Ș.); (M.D.)
| | - Mihai Dimian
- Integrated Center for Research, Development and Innovation for Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies, Manufacturing and Control Distributed Systems (MANSiD), Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (R.C.O.); (I.Ș.); (M.D.)
- Department of Computers, Electronics and Automation, Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania
| | - Mihai Covasa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences, “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania; (A.C.-B.); (O.A.C.-S.); (M.I.); (N.-E.P.); (M.C.)
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91711, USA
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