ArticleCells2024
Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Activates Cardiac Fibrogenesis through NLRP3 Inflammasomes and NF-κB Signaling.
Article in Cells, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Computational modeling identifies protective mechanisms of estrogen and testosterone against atrial fibrosis.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · 2026Article
- Decreased Plasma Concentration of Hydrogen Sulfide in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Novel Determinant of Mortality?Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Roles of Reactive Oxygen Species in Relationships Between Viral Infections and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Cardiac Tissue Damage in a Female Animal Post-COVID Model: Relevance of Chemokine-Mediated Inflammation.Viruses · 2025Article
- An RGD motif on SARS-CoV-2 Spike induces TGF-β signaling and downregulates interferon.Journal of virology · 2025Article
- Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species: A Unifying Mechanism in Long COVID and Spike Protein-Associated Injury: A Narrative Review.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) and Its Constituent S-Allyl-Cysteine (SAC) Inhibit the Expression of Pro-Inflammatory Genes Induced in Bronchial Epithelial IB3-1 Cells by Exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and the BNT162b2 Vaccine.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Possible mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2-associated myocardial fibrosis: reflections in the post-pandemic era.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is crucial to viral entry and can cause cardiac injuries. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and NOD-, LPR-, and pyrin-domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome are critical immune system components implicated in cardiac fibrosis. The spike protein activates NLRP3 inflammasome through TLR4 or angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, damaging various organs. However, the role of spike protein in cardiac fibrosis in humans, as well as its interactions with NLRP3 inflammasomes and TLR4, remain poorly understood.
methodsWe utilized scratch assays, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence to evaluate the migration, fibrosis signaling, mitochondrial calcium levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and cell morphology of cultured human cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) treated with spike (S1) protein for 24 h with or without an anti-ACE2 neutralizing antibody, a TLR4 blocker, or an NLRP3 inhibitor.
resultsS1 protein enhanced CFs migration and the expressions of collagen 1, α-smooth muscle actin, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), phosphorylated SMAD2/3, interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). S1 protein increased ROS production but did not affect mitochondrial calcium content and cell morphology. Treatment with an anti-ACE2 neutralizing antibody attenuated the effects of S1 protein on collagen 1 and TGF-β1 expressions. Moreover, NLRP3 (MCC950) and NF-kB inhibitors, but not the TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242, prevented the S1 protein-enhanced CFs migration and overexpression of collagen 1, TGF-β1, and IL-1β.
conclusionS1 protein activates human CFs by priming NLRP3 inflammasomes through NF-κB signaling in an ACE2-dependent manner.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.