Can the hyperthermia-mediated heat shock factor/heat shock protein 70 pathway dampen the cytokine storm during SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Hyperthermia and targeting heat shock proteins: innovative approaches for neurodegenerative disorders and Long COVID

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) and Long COVID represent critical and growing global health challenges, characterized by complex pathophysiological mechanisms including neuronal deterioration, protein misfolding, and persistent neuroinflammation. The emergence of innovative therapeutic approaches, such as whole-body hyperthermia (WBH), offers promising potential to modulate underlying pathophysiological mechanisms in NDs and related conditions like Long COVID. WBH, particularly in fever-range, enhances mitochondrial function, induces heat shock proteins (HSPs), and modulates neuroinflammation-benefits that pharmacological treatments often struggle to replicate. HSPs such as HSP70 and HSP90 play pivotal roles in protein folding, aggregation prevention, and cellular protection, directly targeting pathological processes seen in NDs like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. Preliminary findings also suggest WBH's potential to alleviate neurological symptoms in Long COVID, where persistent neuroinflammation and serotonin dysregulation are prominent. Despite the absence of robust clinical trials, the therapeutic implications of WBH extend to immune modulation and the restoration of disrupted physiological pathways. However, the dual nature of hyperthermia's effects-balancing pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses-emphasizes the need for dose-controlled applications and stringent patient monitoring to minimize risks in vulnerable populations. While WBH shows potential interest, significant challenges remain. These include individual variability in response, limited accessibility to advanced hyperthermia technologies, and the need for standardized clinical protocols. Future research must focus on targeted clinical trials, biomarker identification, and personalized treatment strategies to optimize WBH's efficacy in NDs and Long COVID. The integration of WBH into therapeutic paradigms could mark a transformative step in addressing these complex conditions.

Microplastics dysregulate innate immunity in the SARS-CoV-2 infected lung

Introduction

Global microplastic (MP) pollution is now well recognized, with humans and animals consuming and inhaling MPs on a daily basis, with a growing body of concern surrounding the potential impacts on human health.

Methods

Using a mouse model of mild COVID-19, we describe herein the effects of azide-free 1 μm polystyrene MP beads, co-delivered into lungs with a SARS-CoV-2 omicron BA.5 inoculum. The effect of MPs on the host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection was analysed using histopathology and RNA-Seq at 2 and 6 days post-infection (dpi).

Results

Although infection reduced clearance of MPs from the lung, virus titres and viral RNA levels were not significantly affected by MPs, and overt MP-associated clinical or histopathological changes were not observed. However, RNA-Seq of infected lungs revealed that MP exposure suppressed innate immune responses at 2 dpi and increased pro-inflammatory signatures at 6 dpi. The cytokine profile at 6 dpi showed a significant correlation with the 'cytokine release syndrome' signature observed in some COVID-19 patients.

Discussion

The findings are consistent with the recent finding that MPs can inhibit phagocytosis of apoptotic cells via binding of Tim4. They also add to a growing body of literature suggesting that MPs can dysregulate inflammatory processes in specific disease settings.

Heat shock response during the resolution of inflammation and its progressive suppression in chronic-degenerative inflammatory diseases

The heat shock response (HSR) is a crucial biochemical pathway that orchestrates the resolution of inflammation, primarily under proteotoxic stress conditions. This process hinges on the upregulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and other chaperones, notably the 70 kDa family of heat shock proteins, under the command of the heat shock transcription factor-1. However, in the context of chronic degenerative disorders characterized by persistent low-grade inflammation (such as insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular diseases) a gradual suppression of the HSR does occur. This work delves into the mechanisms behind this phenomenon. It explores how the Western diet and sedentary lifestyle, culminating in the endoplasmic reticulum stress within adipose tissue cells, trigger a cascade of events. This cascade includes the unfolded protein response and activation of the NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein-3 inflammasome, leading to the emergence of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype and the propagation of inflammation throughout the body. Notably, the activation of the NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein-3 inflammasome not only fuels inflammation but also sabotages the HSR by degrading human antigen R, a crucial mRNA-binding protein responsible for maintaining heat shock transcription factor-1 mRNA expression and stability on heat shock gene promoters. This paper underscores the imperative need to comprehend how chronic inflammation stifles the HSR and the clinical significance of evaluating the HSR using cost-effective and accessible tools. Such understanding is pivotal in the development of innovative strategies aimed at the prevention and treatment of these chronic inflammatory ailments, which continue to take a heavy toll on global health and well-being.

An alternative way of SARS-COV-2 to induce cell stress and elevated DNA damage risk in cardiomyocytes without direct infection

BACKGROUND

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) in 2020 has led to millions of deaths worldwide. Case reports suggested that infection of SARS-CoV-2 is potentially associated with occurrences of cardiovascular pathology. However, the mode of action and mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 influencing cardiomyocytes still remain largely unclear.

AIMS

To explore the mechanisms underlying cardiomyocytes damage induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

MATERIALS & METHODS

the serum markers of cardiovascular injury were analyzed by ELISA. The isolated SARS-CoV-2 virus were co-cultured with human cardiomyocytes (AC16) and immunofluorescence assay was used evaluate the invasion of virus. Moreover, serum obtained from acute stage of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and healthy controls were used to incubate with AC16 cells, then indicators associated with cell stress and DNA damage were analyzed by Western-blot.

RESULTS

we found that high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT), an indicator of cardiovascular disease, was higher in the acute stage of COVID-19. Additionally, in vitro coculture of SARS-CoV-2 and AC16 cells showed almost no infectious ability of SARS-CoV-2 to directly infect AC16 cells. Results of serum treatment suggested that serum from infected subjects induced cell stress (upregulation of p53 and HSP70) and elevation of DNA damage risk (increased γH2Ax and H3K79me2) in AC16.

DISCUSSION

our observations indicated a hard way for SARS-CoV-2 to infect cardiomyocytes directly. However, infection-induced immune storm in serum could bring stress and elevated DNA damage risks to cardiovascular system.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicated the possibilities of SARS-CoV-2 inducing stress and elevating DNA damage risk to cardiomyocytes without direct infection.