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Zuniga-Hertz JP, Chitteti R, Dispenza J, Cuomo R, Bonds JA, Kopp EL, Simpson S, Okerblom J, Maurya S, Rana BK, Miyonahara A, Niesman IR, Maree J, Belza G, Hamilton HD, Stanton C, Gonzalez DJ, Poirier MA, Moeller-Bertram T, Patel HH. Meditation-induced bloodborne factors as an adjuvant treatment to COVID-19 disease. Brain Behav Immun Health 2023; 32:100675. [PMID: 37600600 PMCID: PMC10432704 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Management of the pandemic has relied mainly on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, while alternative approaches such as meditation, shown to improve immunity, have been largely unexplored. Here, we probe the relationship between meditation and COVID-19 disease and directly test the impact of meditation on the induction of a blood environment that modulates viral infection. We found a significant inverse correlation between length of meditation practice and SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as accelerated resolution of symptomology of those infected. A meditation "dosing" effect was also observed. In cultured human lung cells, blood from experienced meditators induced factors that prevented entry of pseudotyped viruses for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of both the wild-type Wuhan-1 virus and the Delta variant. We identified and validated SERPINA5, a serine protease inhibitor, as one possible protein factor in the blood of meditators that is necessary and sufficient for limiting pseudovirus entry into cells. In summary, we conclude that meditation can enhance resiliency to viral infection and may serve as a possible adjuvant therapy in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan P. Zuniga-Hertz
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Ramamurthy Chitteti
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | | | - Raphael Cuomo
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jacqueline A. Bonds
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Elena L. Kopp
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Sierra Simpson
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jonathan Okerblom
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Svetlana Maurya
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Brinda K. Rana
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Atsushi Miyonahara
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Ingrid R. Niesman
- San Diego State University, Electron Microscope Facility, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Jacqueline Maree
- VitaMed Research, 44630 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert, CA, 92260, USA
| | - Gianna Belza
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | | | | | - David J. Gonzalez
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | | | | | - Hemal H. Patel
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
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