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Respiratory Research
Published in: Respiratory Research 1/2022

01-12-2022 | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus | Research

Pulmonary vascular inflammation with fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): possible role for the NLRP3 inflammasome

Authors: Oindrila Paul, Jian Qin Tao, Eric West, Leslie Litzky, Michael Feldman, Kathleen Montone, Chamith Rajapakse, Christian Bermudez, Shampa Chatterjee

Published in: Respiratory Research | Issue 1/2022

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Abstract

Background

Pulmonary hyperinflammation is a key event with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that often accompanies COVID-19 appears to have worse outcomes than ARDS from other causes. To date, numerous lung histological studies in cases of COVID-19 have shown extensive inflammation and injury, but the extent to which these are a COVID-19 specific, or are an ARDS and/or mechanical ventilation (MV) related phenomenon is not clear. Furthermore, while lung hyperinflammation with ARDS (COVID-19 or from other causes) has been well studied, there is scarce documentation of vascular inflammation in COVID-19 lungs.

Methods

Lung sections from 8 COVID-19 affected and 11 non-COVID-19 subjects, of which 8 were acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS) affected (non-COVID-19 ARDS) and 3 were from subjects with non-respiratory diseases (non-COVID-19 non-ARDS) were H&E stained to ascertain histopathological features. Inflammation along the vessel wall was also monitored by expression of NLRP3 and caspase 1.

Results

In lungs from COVID-19 affected subjects, vascular changes in the form of microthrombi in small vessels, arterial thrombosis, and organization were extensive as compared to lungs from non-COVID-19 (i.e., non-COVID-19 ARDS and non-COVID-19 non-ARDS) affected subjects. The expression of NLRP3 pathway components was higher in lungs from COVID-19 ARDS subjects as compared to non-COVID-19 non-ARDS cases. No differences were observed between COVID-19 ARDS and non-COVID-19 ARDS lungs.

Conclusion

Vascular changes as well as NLRP3 inflammasome pathway activation were not different between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 ARDS suggesting that these responses are not a COVID-19 specific phenomenon and are possibly more related to respiratory distress and associated strategies (such as MV) for treatment.
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Metadata
Title
Pulmonary vascular inflammation with fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): possible role for the NLRP3 inflammasome
Authors
Oindrila Paul
Jian Qin Tao
Eric West
Leslie Litzky
Michael Feldman
Kathleen Montone
Chamith Rajapakse
Christian Bermudez
Shampa Chatterjee
Publication date
01-12-2022
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Respiratory Research / Issue 1/2022
Electronic ISSN: 1465-993X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-022-01944-8

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