Department of Ophthalmology, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, 80, Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, 152-703, South Korea.
Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 6;14(1):27023. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-78518-9.
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global health crisis, including ocular symptoms, primarily targeting the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. PM2.5 air pollution may increase infection risk by altering ACE2 expression. Silicon Dioxide (SiO) and carbon black (CB), major components of PM2.5 from sands and vehicle emissions, were studied for their effects on ACE2 and Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) expression in corneal and conjunctival cells, and ocular tissues. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) and conjunctival epithelial cells (HCjECs) were exposed to nanoparticles (NPs) for 24 hours, assessing viability via WST-8 assay. TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β levels in the medium were measured. An in vivo rat study administered NPs via eye drops, with Rose Bengal staining to evaluate damage. ACE2, TMPRSS2, and Angiotensin II (AngII) protein expressions were quantified by Western blot. ACE2 expression in HCjECs increased with NP exposure, while it decreased in HCECs. CB exposure increased TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β levels in HCECs. In vivo, corneal exposure to CB decreased ACE2 expression, whereas conjunctival exposure to SiO increased ACE2 expression. These changes suggest that SiO2 exposure may increase the risk of COVID-19 through the ocular surface, while CB exposure may decrease it.
新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行导致了全球卫生危机，包括眼部症状，主要针对血管紧张素转换酶 2（ACE2）受体。PM2.5 空气污染可能通过改变 ACE2 表达来增加感染风险。二氧化硅（SiO）和碳黑（CB）是 PM2.5 中沙子和车辆排放的主要成分，研究了它们对角膜和结膜细胞以及眼部组织中 ACE2 和跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶 2（TMPRSS2）表达的影响。将人角膜上皮细胞（HCEC）和结膜上皮细胞（HCjEC）暴露于纳米颗粒（NP）24 小时，通过 WST-8 测定评估细胞活力。测量培养基中 TNF-α、IL-6 和 IL-1β 的水平。通过眼滴给予大鼠体内 NP，并用 Rose Bengal 染色评估损伤。通过 Western blot 定量 ACE2、TMPRSS2 和血管紧张素 II（AngII）蛋白表达。NP 暴露后 HCjECs 中的 ACE2 表达增加，而 HCECs 中的 ACE2 表达减少。CB 暴露增加了 HCECs 中 TNF-α、IL-6 和 IL-1β 的水平。体内，角膜暴露于 CB 降低了 ACE2 的表达，而结膜暴露于 SiO 增加了 ACE2 的表达。这些变化表明，SiO2 暴露可能通过眼表增加 COVID-19 的风险，而 CB 暴露可能降低风险。
