tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Front Immunol
. 2022 Jul 15;13:930074.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.930074. eCollection 2022.
Anti-Phospholipid Antibodies and Coronavirus Disease 2019: Vaccination Does Not Trigger Early Autoantibody Production in Healthcare Workers
Maria Orietta Borghi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mauro Bombaci[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Caterina Bodio[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paola Adele Lonati[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Gobbini[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mariangela Lorenzo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Erminio Torresani[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonella Dubini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ilaria Bulgarelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francesca Solari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francesca Pregnolato[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alessandra Bandera[SUP] 2 4 5 [/SUP], Andrea Gori[SUP] 2 4 5 [/SUP], Gianfranco Parati[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Sergio Abrignani[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Renata Grifantini[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Pier Luigi Meroni[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
A molecular mimicry between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human proteins supports the possibility that autoimmunity takes place during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) contributing to tissue damage. For example, anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been reported in COVID-19 as a result of such mimicry and thought to contribute to the immunothrombosis characteristic of the disease. Consistently, active immunization with the virus spike protein may elicit the production of cross-reactive autoantibodies, including aPL. We prospectively looked at the aPL production in healthcare workers vaccinated with RNA- (BNT162b2, n. 100) or adenovirus-based vaccines (ChAdOx1, n. 50). Anti-cardiolipin, anti-beta2 glycoprotein I, anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM before and after vaccination were investigated. Anti-platelet factor 4 immunoglobulins were also investigated as autoantibodies associated with COVID-19 vaccination. Additional organ (anti-thyroid) and non-organ (anti-nuclear) autoantibodies and IgG against human proteome were tested as further post-vaccination autoimmunity markers. The antibodies were tested one or three months after the first injection of ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2, respectively; a 12-month clinical follow-up was also performed. Vaccination occasionally induced low titers of aPL and other autoantibodies but did not affect the titer of pre-existing autoantibodies. No significant reactivities against a microarray of approximately 20,000 human proteins were found in a subgroup of ChAdOx1-vaccinees. Consistently, we did not record any clinical manifestation theoretically associated with an underlying autoimmune disorder. The data obtained after the vaccination (two doses for the RNA-based and one dose for the adenovirus-based vaccines), and the clinical follow-up are not supporting the occurrence of an early autoimmune response in this cohort of healthcare workers.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 vaccination; anti-phospholipid antibodies; autoantibodies; autoimmunity.
. 2022 Jul 15;13:930074.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.930074. eCollection 2022.
Anti-Phospholipid Antibodies and Coronavirus Disease 2019: Vaccination Does Not Trigger Early Autoantibody Production in Healthcare Workers
Maria Orietta Borghi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mauro Bombaci[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Caterina Bodio[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paola Adele Lonati[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrea Gobbini[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mariangela Lorenzo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Erminio Torresani[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonella Dubini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ilaria Bulgarelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francesca Solari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francesca Pregnolato[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alessandra Bandera[SUP] 2 4 5 [/SUP], Andrea Gori[SUP] 2 4 5 [/SUP], Gianfranco Parati[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Sergio Abrignani[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Renata Grifantini[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Pier Luigi Meroni[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35911726
- PMCID: PMC9334668
- DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.930074
Abstract
A molecular mimicry between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human proteins supports the possibility that autoimmunity takes place during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) contributing to tissue damage. For example, anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been reported in COVID-19 as a result of such mimicry and thought to contribute to the immunothrombosis characteristic of the disease. Consistently, active immunization with the virus spike protein may elicit the production of cross-reactive autoantibodies, including aPL. We prospectively looked at the aPL production in healthcare workers vaccinated with RNA- (BNT162b2, n. 100) or adenovirus-based vaccines (ChAdOx1, n. 50). Anti-cardiolipin, anti-beta2 glycoprotein I, anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM before and after vaccination were investigated. Anti-platelet factor 4 immunoglobulins were also investigated as autoantibodies associated with COVID-19 vaccination. Additional organ (anti-thyroid) and non-organ (anti-nuclear) autoantibodies and IgG against human proteome were tested as further post-vaccination autoimmunity markers. The antibodies were tested one or three months after the first injection of ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2, respectively; a 12-month clinical follow-up was also performed. Vaccination occasionally induced low titers of aPL and other autoantibodies but did not affect the titer of pre-existing autoantibodies. No significant reactivities against a microarray of approximately 20,000 human proteins were found in a subgroup of ChAdOx1-vaccinees. Consistently, we did not record any clinical manifestation theoretically associated with an underlying autoimmune disorder. The data obtained after the vaccination (two doses for the RNA-based and one dose for the adenovirus-based vaccines), and the clinical follow-up are not supporting the occurrence of an early autoimmune response in this cohort of healthcare workers.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 vaccination; anti-phospholipid antibodies; autoantibodies; autoimmunity.