ArticleCell communication and signaling : CCS2023
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein promotes inflammatory cytokine activation and aggravates rheumatoid arthritis.
Article in Cell communication and signaling : CCS, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Korean Red ginseng on the regulation of inflammation, cell death, and fibrosis in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis featuring spike protein overexpression.Journal of ginseng research · 2026Article
- A SARS-CoV-2 spike-derived adjuvant peptide boosts IL-17/IFN-γ immunity and improves anti-PD-L1 therapy against melanoma.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- iPSC-derived human cortical organoids display profound alterations of cellular homeostasis following SARS-CoV-2 infection and Spike protein exposure.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025Article
- COVID-19 on patients with immune-mediated rheumatic disease: a comparative study of disease activity, fatigue, and psychological distress over six months.Advances in rheumatology (London, England) · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 spike aggravates lupus nephritis and lung fibrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus.Lupus science & medicine · 2024Article
- A new DNA aptamer which binds to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and reduces pro-inflammatory response.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Multifaceted role of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins in lung injury.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- Self-DNA driven inflammation in COVID-19 and after mRNA-based vaccination: lessons for non-COVID-19 pathologies.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
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8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) induces inflammation, autoantibody production, and thrombosis, which are common symptoms of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the effect of COVID-19 on autoimmune disease is not yet fully understood.
methodsThis study was performed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on the development and progression of RA using a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) animal model. Human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were transduced with lentivirus carrying the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein gene in vitro, and the levels of inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression were measured. For in vivo experiments, CIA mice were injected with the gene encoding SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and disease severity, levels of autoantibodies, thrombotic factors, and inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression were assessed. In the in vitro experiments, the levels of inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression were significantly increased by overexpression of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human FLS.
resultsThe incidence and severity of RA in CIA mice were slightly increased by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vivo. In addition, the levels of autoantibodies and thrombotic factors, such as anti-CXC chemokine ligand 4 (CXCL4, also called PF4) antibodies and anti-phospholipid antibodies were significantly increased by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Furthermore, tissue destruction and inflammatory cytokine level in joint tissue were markedly increased in CIA mice by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
conclusionsThe results of the present study suggested that COVID-19 accelerates the development and progression of RA by increasing inflammation, autoantibody production, and thrombosis. Video Abstract.
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