Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Post-COVID Endocrine Disorders: Putative Role of Molecular Mimicry and Some Pathomorphological Correlates

Muslimbek Ghulomovich Normatov
* ORCID logo ,
Vadim Evgenievich Karev
,
Andrey Victorovich Kolobov
,
Vera Arkad'yevna Mayevskaya
,
Varvara Aleksandrovna Ryabkova
ORCID logo ,
Vladimir Josefovich Utekhin
* ORCID logo ,
Leonid Pavlovich Churilov
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 5 November 2022 / Approved: 7 November 2022 / Online: 7 November 2022 (11:32:33 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Normatov, M.G.; Karev, V.E.; Kolobov, A.V.; Mayevskaya, V.A.; Ryabkova, V.A.; Utekhin, V.J.; Churilov, L.P. Post-COVID Endocrine Disorders: Putative Role of Molecular Mimicry and Some Pathomorphological Correlates. Diagnostics 2023, 13, 522. Normatov, M.G.; Karev, V.E.; Kolobov, A.V.; Mayevskaya, V.A.; Ryabkova, V.A.; Utekhin, V.J.; Churilov, L.P. Post-COVID Endocrine Disorders: Putative Role of Molecular Mimicry and Some Pathomorphological Correlates. Diagnostics 2023, 13, 522.

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of autoimmune diseases provocation by coronavirus infection and the role of molecular mimicry in this phenomenon. SARS-CoV-2 can disguise its proteins as human ones in order to avoid immune attack. A bioinformatics analysis of the probable pentapeptide sharing between human autoantigens of endocrinocytes and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, membrane protein and nucleocapsid protein was performed. Antigen mimicry between S-proteins of all other known human Coronaviruses and typical target autoantigens of endocrinocytes was also explored. Six human-identical regions were found in the SARS-CoV-2 membrane and nucleocapsid proteins, all of them in their immunodominant epitopes. All shared epitopes belong to antigens of endocrine cells commonly targeted during autoimmune endocrinopathies. Moreover, samples of the pituitary, adrenal and thyroid from patients who died from coronovirus infection (COVID-19) were studied morphologically using histochemical methods. A high frequency of SARS-CoV-2 caused inflammation of the studied endocrine organs was found in patients who died from severe COVID-19. At the same time, the abundant expression of virus antigens by the cells of the adenohypophysis was combined with the complete absence of its expression by the cells of the neurohypophysis. SARS-CoV-2 infected cells apparently perished by non-apoptotic pathway. The foci of lesions in endocrine organs contained abundant lymphocytic infiltrates which may witness for the impact of autoimmune processes. The facts revealed emphasize the need of endocrinological diagnostic alertness of a physician while observing patients with post-vaccination and post-COVID-19 health disorders. [3 figures, 6 tables, bibliography: 45 references].

Keywords

Antigen mimicry; Autoimmune diseases; SARS-CoV-2; Human Coronaviruses; Thyroid gland; Pancreatic islets; Adrenals; Pituitary

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.