SARS-CoV-2 spike protein acts as a ß-adrenergic receptor agonist: A potential mechanism for cardiac sequelae of long COVID.

BACKGROUND: Currently, pathophysiological mechanisms of post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease-19-cardiovascular syndrome (PASC-CVS) remain unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with PASC-CVS exhibited significantly higher circulating levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 spike protein S1 than the non-PASC-CVS patients and healthy controls. Moreover, individuals with high plasma spike protein S1 concentrations exhibited elevated heart rates and normalized low frequency, suggesting cardiac ß-adrenergic receptor (ß-AR) hyperactivity. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) assay revealed that the spike protein bound to ß1- and ß2-AR, but not to D1-dopamine receptor. These interactions were blocked by ß1- and ß2-AR blockers. Molecular docking and MST assay of ß-AR mutants revealed that the spike protein interacted with the extracellular loop 2 of both ß-ARs. In cardiomyocytes, spike protein dose-dependently increased the cyclic adenosine monophosphate production with or without epinephrine, indicating its allosteric effects on ß-ARs. CONCLUSION: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 spike proteins act as an allosteric ß-AR agonist, leading to cardiac ß-AR hyperactivity, thus contributing to PASC-CVS.

Correlation between Plasma Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Levels and Long-Term Prognosis in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated with Diabetes.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a widely expressed pleiotropic cytokine, is reportedly involved in several cardiovascular diseases, in addition to inflammatory diseases. Plasma MIF levels are elevated in the early phase of acute cardiac infarction. This study is aimed at investigating the correlation between plasma MIF levels and cardiac function and prognosis in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with or without diabetes mellitus. Overall, 204 patients with STEMI who underwent emergency percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled: 57 and 147 patients in the diabetes and nondiabetes STEMI groups, respectively. Sixty-five healthy people were selected as controls. Plasma MIF levels were measured at the time of diagnosis. Basic clinical data and echocardiographic findings within 72 h of admission were collected. Patients were followed up, and echocardiograms were reviewed at the 12-month follow-up. Plasma MIF levels were significantly higher in the diabetes and nondiabetes STEMI groups than in the control group and in patients with Killip grade ≥ II STEMI than in those with Killip grade I. Plasma MIF levels were negatively correlated with the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of myocardial infarction in patients with or without diabetes in the acute phase of infarction, whereas the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) was positively correlated. MIF levels in the nondiabetes STEMI group were positively correlated with N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide levels and were associated with LVEF and LVDD at the 12-month follow-up. The risk of adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events was significantly higher in the MIF high-level group (≥52.7 ng/mL) than in the nondiabetes STEMI group 36 months after presentation. Thus, MIF levels in STEMI patients with or without diabetes can reflect acute cardiac function. In STEMI patients without diabetes, MIF levels can also indicate cardiac function and long-term prognosis at the 12-month follow-up.

IL-18 cleavage triggers cardiac inflammation and fibrosis upon ß-adrenergic insult.

Aims: Rapid over-activation of ß-adrenergic receptor (ß-AR) upon stress leads to cardiac inflammation, a prevailing factor that underlies heart injury. However, mechanisms by which acute ß-AR stimulation induce cardiac inflammation still remain unknown. Here, we set out to identify the crucial role of inflammasome/interleukin (IL)-18 in initiating and maintaining cardiac inflammatory cascades upon ß-AR insult. Methods and results: Male C57BL/6 mice were injected with a single dose of ß-AR agonist, isoproterenol (ISO, 5 mg/kg body weight) or saline subcutaneously. Cytokine array profiling demonstrated that chemokines dominated the initial cytokines upregulation specifically within the heart upon ß-AR insult, which promoted early macrophage infiltration. Further investigation revealed that the rapid inflammasome-dependent activation of IL-18, but not IL-1ß, was the critical up-stream regulator for elevated chemokine expression in the myocardium upon ISO induced ß1-AR-ROS signalling. Indeed, a positive correlation was observed between the serum levels of norepinephrine and IL-18 in patients with chest pain. Genetic deletion of IL-18 or the up-stream inflammasome component NLRP3 significantly attenuated ISO-induced chemokine expression and macrophage infiltration. In addition, IL-18 neutralizing antibodies selectively abated ISO-induced chemokines, proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules but not growth factors. Moreover, blocking IL-18 early after ISO treatment effectively attenuated cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. Conclusion: Inflammasome-dependent activation of IL-18 within the myocardium upon acute ß-AR over-activation triggers cytokine cascades, macrophage infiltration and pathological cardiac remodelling. Blocking IL-18 at the early stage of ß-AR insult can successfully prevent inflammatory responses and cardiac injuries.

Galectin-3-centered paracrine network mediates cardiac inflammation and fibrosis upon ß-adrenergic insult.

Rapid over-activation of ß-adrenergic receptors (ß-AR) following acute stress initiates cardiac inflammation and injury by activating interleukin-18 (IL-18), however, the process of inflammation cascades has not been fully illustrated. The present study aimed to determine the mechanisms of cardiac inflammatory amplification following acute sympathetic activation. With bioinformatics analysis, galectin-3 was identified as a potential key downstream effector of ß-AR and IL-18 activation. The serum level of galectin-3 was positively correlated with norepinephrine or IL-18 in patients with chest pain. In the heart of mice treated with ß-AR agonist isoproterenol (ISO, 5 mg kg-1), galectin-3 expression was upregulated markedly later than IL-18 activation, and Nlrp3-/- and Il18-/- mice did not show ISO-induced galectin-3 upregulation. It was further revealed that cardiomyocyte-derived IL-18 induced galectin-3 expression in macrophages following ISO treatment. Moreover, galectin-3 deficiency suppressed ISO-induced cardiac inflammation and fibrosis without blocking ISO-induced IL-18 increase. Treatment with a galectin-3 inhibitor, but not a ß-blocker, one day after ISO treatment effectively attenuated cardiac inflammation and injury. In conclusion, galectin-3 is upregulated to exaggerate cardiac inflammation and injury following acute ß-AR activation, a galectin-3 inhibitor effectively blocks cardiac injury one day after ß-AR insult.

Autophagy mediates the secretion of macrophage migration inhibitory factor from cardiomyocytes upon serum-starvation.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine. It is elevated early in the blood of acute myocardial infarction patients. However, it is unclear whether and how MIF is released. This study investigated the cellular source and mechanism of MIF release from hearts. An ischemia-mimic treatment induced the secretion of MIF from neonatal rat cardiomyocytes but not from fibroblasts. The treatment did not cause significant leakage of lactate dehydrogenase, suggesting that ischemia induced the MIF secretion without causing severe cell damage. Plasma samples from patients with acute chest pain at the emergency department were collected for the detection of MIF. MIF levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) increased early, when cardiac injury markers were not yet elevated, suggesting that ischemia can induce MIF secretion before the occurrence of severe myocardial damage. Serum-starvation caused MIF secretion from rat cardiomyocytes and Langendorff-perfused rat hearts. The secretion was suppressed by the inhibition of autophagy by inhibitors or by silencing of Atg5. In conclusion, serum-starvation induces the secretion of MIF from cardiomyocytes via autophagy dependent pathway. Clarifying the mechanism of MIF secretion will be helpful for its application in the early diagnosis and treatment of ACS.

Admission macrophage migration inhibitory factor predicts long-term prognosis in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Aims: We previously showed in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) that admission levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) predict infarct size. We studied whether admission MIF alone or in combination with other biomarkers is useful for risk assessment of acute and chronic clinical outcomes in STEMI patients. Methods and results: A total of 658 STEMI patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were consecutively recruited. MIF level was determined at admission and echocardiography performed on day-3 and then 12 months post-MI. Patients were followed for a median period of 64 months. Major endpoints included ST-segment resolution, all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). High MIF level was associated with larger enzymatic infarct size, incomplete resolution of ST-segment elevation post-PCI, impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and poorer improvement of LVEF (all P < 0.001). After adjustment for classical risk factors standard biomarkers and day-3 LVEF, admission MIF remained independently prognostic for all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 2.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-3.22], and MACE (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.12-1.71, both P < 0.05). MIF was a significant additive predictor of all-cause mortality with a net reclassification improvement of 0.34 (P = 0.02). Furthermore, patients in high tertile of both admission MIF and day-3 Nt-proBNP had the highest mortality risk relative to other tertile groups (HR 11.28, 95% CI 4.82-26.94; P < 0.001). Conclusion: STEMI patients with high admission MIF level experienced a poorer recovery of cardiac function and worse long-term adverse outcomes. Combination of Nt-proBNP with MIF further improves prognostic capability.