Causal associations of tea intake with COVID-19 infection and severity

Identification of immune-related hub genes and potential molecular mechanisms involved in COVID-19 via integrated bioinformatics analysis

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, poses significant health challenges worldwide, particularly due to severe immune-related complications. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and identifying key immune-related genes (IRGs) involved in COVID-19 pathogenesis is critical for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. This study employed computational tools to analyze biological data (bioinformatics) and a method for inferring causal relationships based on genetic variations, known as Mendelian randomization (MR), to explore the roles of IRGs in COVID-19. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from datasets available in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), comparing COVID-19 patients with healthy controls. IRGs were sourced from the ImmPort database. We conducted functional enrichment analysis, pathway analysis, and immune infiltration assessments to determine the biological significance of the identified IRGs. A total of 360 common differential IRGs were identified. Among these genes, CD1C, IL1B, and SLP1 have emerged as key IRGs with potential protective effects against COVID-19. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that CD1C is involved in terpenoid backbone biosynthesis and Th17 cell differentiation, while IL1B is linked to B-cell receptor signaling and the NF-kappa B signaling pathway. Significant correlations were observed between key genes and various immune cells, suggesting that they influence immune cell modulation in COVID-19. This study provides new insights into the immune mechanisms underlying COVID-19, highlighting the crucial role of IRGs in disease progression. These findings suggest that CD1C and IL1B could be potential therapeutic targets. The integrated bioinformatics and MR analysis approach offers a robust framework for further exploring immune responses in COVID-19 patients, as well as for targeted therapy and vaccine development.

Associations between immune cell phenotypes and lung cancer subtypes: insights from mendelian randomization analysis

INTRODUCTION

Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor, and different types of immune cells may have different effects on the occurrence and development of lung cancer subtypes, including lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the causal relationship between immune phenotype and lung cancer is still unclear.

METHODS

This study utilized a comprehensive dataset containing 731 immune phenotypes from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) to evaluate the potential causal relationship between immune phenotypes and LUSC and LUAD using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method in Mendelian randomization (MR). Sensitivity analyses, including MR-Egger intercept, Cochran Q test, and others, were conducted for the robustness of the results. The study results were further validated through meta-analysis using data from the Transdisciplinary Research Into Cancer of the Lung (TRICL) data. Additionally, confounding factors were excluded to ensure the robustness of the findings.

RESULTS

Among the final selection of 729 immune cell phenotypes, three immune phenotypes exhibited statistically significant effects with LUSC. CD28 expression on resting CD4 regulatory T cells (OR 1.0980, 95% CI: 1.0627-1.1344, p < 0.0001) and CD45RA + CD28- CD8 + T cell %T cell (OR 1.0011, 95% CI: 1.0007; 1.0015, p < 0.0001) were associated with increased susceptibility to LUSC. Conversely, CCR2 expression on monocytes (OR 0.9399, 95% CI: 0.9177-0.9625, p < 0.0001) was correlated with a decreased risk of LUSC. However, no significant causal relationships were established between any immune cell phenotypes and LUAD.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that specific immune cell types are associated with the risk of LUSC but not with LUAD. While these findings are derived solely from European populations, they still provide clues for a deeper understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying lung cancer and may offer new directions for future therapeutic strategies and preventive measures.

Evaluating the effects of circulating inflammatory proteins as drivers and therapeutic targets for severe COVID-19

Objective

The relationships between circulating inflammatory proteins and COVID-19 have been observed in previous cohorts. However, it is not unclear which circulating inflammatory proteins may boost the risk of or protect against COVID-19.

Methods

We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using GWAS summary result of 91 circulating inflammation-related proteins (N = 14,824) to assess their causal impact on severe COVID-19. The COVID-19 phenotypes encompassed both hospitalized (N = 2,095,324) and critical COVID-19 (N = 1,086,211). Moreover, sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness and reliability.

Results

We found that seven circulating inflammatory proteins confer positive causal effects on severe COVID-19. Among them, serum levels of IL-10RB, FGF-19, and CCL-2 positively contributed to both hospitalized and critical COVID-19 conditions (OR: 1.10~1.16), while the other 4 proteins conferred risk on critical COVID-19 only (OR: 1.07~1.16), including EIF4EBP1, IL-7, NTF3, and LIF. Meanwhile, five proteins exert protective effects against hospitalization and progression to critical COVID-19 (OR: 0.85~0.95), including CXCL11, CDCP1, CCL4/MIP, IFNG, and LIFR. Sensitivity analyses did not support the presence of heterogeneity in the majority of MR analyses.

Conclusions

Our study revealed risk and protective inflammatory proteins for severe COVID-19, which may have vital implications for the treatment of the disease.

Tea consumption and risk of lung diseases: a two‑sample Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have reported the association between tea intake and lung diseases. However, the probable relationship between tea consumption on lung diseases still remain controversial and it is unclear whether these findings are due to reverse causality or confounding factor.

METHODS

In order to systematically investigate the causal connection between tea intake on respiratory system disorders, we employed a two-sample Mendelian randomized (MR) study. Genetic instruments for tea intake were identified from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 447,385 individuals. Data on lung diseases were collected from a variety of publicly available genome-wide association studies. The main method used for MR analysis is the inverse variance weighting (IVW) method. To ensure the accuracy of the findings, further sensitivity analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

The IVW method in our MR analysis revealed no evidence to support a causal relationship between tea intake and lung diseases (IPF: OR = 0.997, 95% CI = 0.994-1.000, p = 0.065; Lung cancer: OR = 1.003, 95% CI = 0.998-1.008, P = 0.261; COPD: OR = 1.001, 95% CI = 0.993-1.006, p = 0.552; acute bronchitis: OR = 0.919, 95% CI = 0.536-1.576, p = 0.759; tuberculosis: OR = 1.002, 95% CI = 0.998-1.008, p = 0.301; pneumonia: OR = 0.789, 95% CI = 0.583-1.068, p = 0.125). The reliability of the results was further demonstrated by four additional MR analysis techniques and additional sensitivity testing.

CONCLUSION

We found no evidence of a link between tea intake on lung diseases in our MR results based on genetic information.

Dihydroisocoumarins of Hydrangea macrophylla var. thunbergia inhibit binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2

Binding of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to the cognate angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is the initial step in the viral infection process. In this study, we screened an in-house extract library to identify food materials with inhibitory activity against this binding using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and attempted to ascertain their active constituents. Hydrangea macrophylla var. thunbergia leaves were identified as candidate materials. Its active compounds were purified using conventional chromatographic methods and identified as naringenin, dihydroisocoumarins, hydrangenol, and phyllodulcin, which have affinities for the ACE2 receptor and inhibit ACE2 receptor-spike S1 binding. Given that boiled water extracts of H. macrophylla leaves are commonly consumed as sweet tea in Japan, we speculated that this tea could be used as a potential natural resource to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.