Analysis of the humoral and cellular response after the third COVID-19 vaccination in patients with autoimmune hepatitis

Safety and effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for patients with intractable hepatobiliary diseases: A multicenter, questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study

AIM

There are few data regarding the safety and effectiveness of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines in patients with intractable hepatobiliary diseases. We conducted a multicenter, questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study to determine the safety and effectiveness of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in Japanese patients with intractable hepatobiliary disease.

METHODS

Patients aged ≥18 years with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, idiopathic portal hypertension, and extrahepatic portal vein obstruction at each center were consecutively invited to join the study. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their characteristics, vaccination status, post-vaccination adverse effects, and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, liver disease status, treatment regimens, and liver function test values pre- and post-vaccination were collected.

RESULTS

The survey was conducted from September 2021 to May 2022, and 528 patients (220 AIH, 251 primary biliary cholangitis, 6 AIH- primary biliary cholangitis/primary sclerosing cholangitis overlap, 39 primary sclerosing cholangitis, 4 Budd-Chiari syndrome, 5 idiopathic portal hypertension, and 3 extrahepatic portal vein obstruction) participated in the study. Post-vaccination adverse effects were comparable to those observed in the general population. Post-vaccination liver injuries classified as grade 1 or higher were observed in 83 cases (16%), whereas grades 2 and 3 were observed in only six cases (1.1%); AIH-like liver injury requiring treatment was not observed. Overall, 12 patients (2.3%) were infected with SARS-CoV-2, and only one patient was infected 6 months after the second vaccination.

CONCLUSION

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines demonstrated satisfactory safety and effectiveness in Japanese patients with intractable hepatobiliary diseases.

Immunogenicity and risk factors for poor humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with autoimmune hepatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Research on the immunogenicity of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) has produced varied results, and the determinants of the immunological response remain largely elusive.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of three primary databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) yielded pertinent studies on the topic. The data extraction was a collaborative effort among three independent researchers, who subsequently reconvened to validate the key data that were collated. The primary outcomes were the magnitudes of humoral and cellular immune responses to the vaccines. The secondary outcomes were related to factors affecting the humoral immune response post-vaccination.

RESULT

Our systematic review incorporated eight studies, and the meta-analysis involved three. The average antibody response rates after one, two, and three doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were 86%, 82%, and 91%, respectively. Unexpectedly, the antibody concentrations of seropositive patients were markedly lower than those of their healthy counterparts. The cellular immune response rates after two and three vaccine doses were 74% and 56%, respectively. Treatment with mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids was associated with a notable decrease in seropositivity [pooled odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 2.62 (2.12-3.25) and 2.4 (1.51-3.82), respectively]. In contrast, azathioprine had no discernable impact on the humoral response.

CONCLUSION

In patients with AIH, the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination is attenuated. Specific immunosuppressive agents, such as steroids and MMF, have been found to reduce antibody responses. Recognizing these determinants is foundational to formulating individualized vaccination strategies for patients with AIH. Further research with an emphasis on post-vaccination cellular immunity will be essential to refine the vaccination approaches for this demographic.

SARS-CoV-2 and the liver: clinical and immunological features in chronic liver disease

SARS-CoV-2 infection may affect the liver in healthy individuals but also influences the course of COVID-19 in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). As described in healthy individuals, a strong SARS-CoV-2-specific adaptive immune response is important for the outcome of COVID-19, however, knowledge on the adaptive immune response in CLD is limited.Here, we review the clinical and immunological features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals with CLD. Acute liver injury occurs in many cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be induced by multiple factors, such as cytokines, direct viral infection or toxic effects of COVID-19 drugs. In individuals with CLD, SARS-CoV-2 infection may have a more severe course and promote decompensation and particularly in patients with cirrhosis. Compared with healthy individuals, the SARS-CoV-2-specific adaptive immune responses is impaired in patients with CLD after both, natural infection and vaccination but improves at least partially after booster vaccination.Following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, rare cases of acute vaccine-induced liver injury and the development of autoimmune-like hepatitis have been reported. However, the concomitant elevation of liver enzymes is reversible under steroid treatment.

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Response in Japanese Patients with Autoimmune Hepatitis: Results of Propensity Score-Matched Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Although the World Health Organization declared the end of the public health emergency of international concern focusing on COVID-19 in May 2023, this bothersome virus continues to mutate, and the possibility of the emergence of mutant strains with high infectivity and severe disease rates has not disappeared. Thus, medical evidence must be accumulated, which is indispensable for protecting both patients under immunosuppressive treatments and the healthy population. This study examined SARS-CoV-2 vaccination responses in Japanese patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) compared with healthy controls.

METHODS

This observational study registered 22 patients with histologically diagnosed AIH and 809 healthy controls in our hospital. Their Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody concentrations before and after vaccination were evaluated.

RESULTS

In this study, 72.7% and 18.2% of patients with AIH received steroids and azathioprine, respectively. Significant negative correlations were found between age and anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody concentration in both groups; however, no sex differences were found. Although anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody concentration was drastically augmented after the second vaccination (p < 0.05) in the AIH group, these levels were significantly lower than those in the controls (p < 0.05). In the age- and sex-matched analysis, the population ratio with a minimum response (≤100 binding antibody units (BAU/mL) was higher among patients with AIH than among controls 26 weeks after the second vaccination (44% vs. 7%, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody concentration in AIH patients was significantly lower than that in controls after the second vaccination. Continued and widespread vaccination, particularly for patients requiring medical immunomodulation, is recommended.

COVID-19 vaccination-related autoimmune hepatitis-a perspective

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is the inflammation of the liver with clear-cut interface hepatitis and piecemeal necrosis located at the boundary between portal areas and periportal hepatocytes, and characterized by autoimmunity to hepatocytes with an increase in the antinuclear antibody. After the disastrous SARS-CoV-2 pandemic flagellated several countries, several vaccines have been commercialized and have become a ground for social responsibility. The mRNA vaccines, issued by Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) and Moderna (mRNA-1273), do not use prebuilt viruses to supply the antigen in the subject's body and are not perfect but have been useful in tackling the pandemic. Nevertheless, both myocarditis and AIH have been reported as side effects of the vaccination programs in addition to thromboembolic events. Here, we explore this topic and give a data-based perspective, gathering a comparison between the titin protein of the sarcomere and myocarditis. The isolation of a Drosophila gene using the serum from a patient with autoimmune scleroderma recognized an epitope on chromosomes (condensed mitotic form) in both human cultured cells and early Drosophila embryos. It revealed that this gene encodes a Drosophila homolog of the vertebrate titin (D-Titin). Moreover, anti-titin antibodies have been found in a subset of patients with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular junction disease that is mostly associated with autoimmune antibodies, such as the anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody. The co-existence of myasthenia gravis and autoimmune hepatitis is rare, and a cohort of patients with myasthenia gravis anti-titin antibodies seems to be highly relevant. In consideration of these data and the number of patients who may not be symptomatic, we postulated that autoimmune phenomena may not be exceedingly rare, following the administration of mRNA technology-based vaccines, and a balance between pros and cons in administrating boosters is critical.

Cellular and humoral responses after second and third SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations in patients with autoimmune diseases treated with rituximab: specific T cell immunity remains longer and plays a protective role against SARS-CoV-2 reinfections

Background

Humoral and cellular immune responses are known to be crucial for patients to recover from COVID-19 and to protect them against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection once infected or vaccinated.

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate humoral and T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with autoimmune diseases after the second and third vaccine doses while on rituximab and their potential protective role against reinfection.

Methods

Ten COVID-19-naïve patients were included. Three time points were used for monitoring cellular and humoral responses: pre-vaccine to exclude virus exposure (time point 1) and post-second and post-third vaccine (time points 2 and 3). Specific IgG antibodies were monitored by Luminex and T cells against SARS-CoV-2 spike-protein by ELISpot and CoVITEST. All episodes of symptomatic COVID-19 were recorded.

Results

Nine patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and one with an undifferentiated autoimmune disease were included. Nine patients received mRNA vaccines. The last rituximab infusion was administered for a mean (SD) of 15 (10) weeks before the first vaccine and six patients were CD19-B cell-depleted. After a mean (SD) of 19 (10) and 16 (2) days from the second and third vaccine dose, IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in six (60%) and eight (80%) patients, respectively. All patients developed specific T cell responses by ELISpot and CoVITEST in time points 2 and 3. Previous B cell depletion correlated with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels. Nine (90%) patients developed mild COVID-19 after a median of 7 months of the third dose.

Conclusion

Rituximab in patients with autoimmune diseases reduces humoral responses but does not avoid the development of T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, which remain present after a booster dose. A steady cellular immunity appears to be protective against subsequent reinfections.