Mitochondrial Dynamics in SARS-COV2 Spike Protein Treated Human Microglia: Implications for Neuro-COVID

Written By Delainne Bond

ProMedView Strategic Clinical Solutions continues to gather information about Neuro COVID and resources for those experiencing post COVID condition.

This NIH article explains how the brain has been impacted by COVID-19 in those experiencing brain fog and other neurological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, seizures, twitching, vibrations, changes in hormones and the senses including smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch.

Source: NIH National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information

Authors: Erin Clough, Joseph Inigo, Dhyan Chandra, Lee Chaves, Jessica L. Reynolds, Ravikumar Aalinkeel, Stanley A. Schwartz, Alexander Khmaladze, and Supriya D. Mahajan

Published online 2021 Oct 2. doi: 10.1007/s11481-021-10015-6 J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2021; 16(4): 770–784

Abstract

Emerging clinical data from the current COVID-19 pandemic suggests that ~ 40% of COVID-19 patients develop neurological symptoms attributed to viral encephalitis while in COVID long haulers chronic neuro-inflammation and neuronal damage result in a syndrome described as Neuro-COVID. We hypothesize that SAR-COV2 induces mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of the mitochondrial-dependent intrinsic apoptotic pathway, resulting in microglial and neuronal apoptosis. The goal of our study was to determine the effect of SARS-COV2 on mitochondrial biogenesis and to monitor cell apoptosis in human microglia non-invasively in real time using Raman spectroscopy, providing a unique spatio-temporal information on mitochondrial function in live cells. We treated human microglia with SARS-COV2 spike protein and examined the levels of cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, determined the effect of SARS-COV2 on mitochondrial biogenesis and examined the changes in molecular composition of phospholipids. Our results show that SARS- COV2 spike protein increases the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and ROS production, increases apoptosis and increases the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in microglial cells. Increases in OCR are indicative of increased ROS production and oxidative stress suggesting that SARS-COV2 induced cell death. Raman spectroscopy yielded significant differences in phospholipids such as Phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), which account for ~ 80% of mitochondrial membrane lipids between SARS-COV2 treated and untreated microglial cells. These data provide important mechanistic insights into SARS-COV2 induced mitochondrial dysfunction which underlies neuropathology associated with Neuro-COVID.

Keywords: Microglia; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Neuro-COVID; Neuro-inflammation; Oxidative stress; SARS-COV2.

Early diagnosis and early intervention are the keys to minimizing these risks. ProMedView has workforce resources and solutions to mitigate the risks associated with COVID and COVID complications.

Delainne Bond

Delainne Bond, BSN, RN, holds dual degrees in Nursing and Neuropsychology. She is the Principal Consultant with ProMedView, Founder of the covidCAREgroup, and a PRIMA Board Member with the Tampa, Florida chapter.

Recognized as a leader in clinical solutions for complex injuries and illnesses, Delainne has a broad spectrum of clinical experience including Workers’ Compensation, acute and critical care in the hospital setting, occupational medicine, and community health.

In the national Workers’ Compensation arena, Delainne is a CEU Educator, and her experience includes leadership, risk management, catastrophic case management, mass casualty incident response, critical incident management, and provider network development.

Since the event of the pandemic, Delainne has devoted her clinical expertise to researching Long COVID, offering education and resources on a global scale through the covidCAREgroup.

In addition to educating providers, clinicians, attorneys, case managers, and nurses, Delainne has published many articles about Long COVID with ~6 million views in 2022. She runs the largest clinical social media support groups in the world with followers and collaborators including physicians, clinicians, and business leaders from 110 countries.

https://www.promedview.com
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Neuroinflammation After COVID-19 With Persistent Depressive and Cognitive Symptoms