Oatis Daniela, Balta Cornel, Herman Hildegard, Ciceu Alina, Simon-Repolski Erika, Mihu Alin Gabriel, Lepre Caterina Claudia, Russo Marina, Trotta Maria Consiglia, D'Amico Giovanbattista, Casillo Anna, D'Amico Michele, Hermenean Anca
Multidisciplinary Doctoral School, "Vasile Goldis" Western University of Arad, 310144 Arad, Romania; Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, "Vasile Goldis" Western University of Arad, 310144 Arad, Romania.
"Aurel Ardelean" Institute of Life Sciences, "Vasile Goldis" Western University of Arad, 310144 Arad, Romania.
Life Sci. 2025 Jan 15;361:123326. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.123326. Epub 2024 Dec 20.
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can lead to serious lung conditions, notably interstitial pulmonary fibrosis.
Our study tracked the progression of fibrosis markers in serial bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) measurements collected from 16 COVID-19 patients at 1, 3, and 6 months post-infection. Additionally, BAL samples from 10 healthy control subjects were included. Using RT-PCR, ELISA, and immunofluorescence, we monitored molecular markers of fibrosis and investigated the interplay between galectins-1 and -3 and key pro-fibrotic mediators.
We found increased α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA)-positive macrophages and heightened levels of αSMA, TGFβ, and CTGF mRNA and proteins at six months compared to controls. Furthermore, galectin-1 and galectin-3 concentrations showed a time-dependent increase and correlated significantly with pro-fibrotic markers.
These findings suggest that galectins contribute to fibrotic progression following COVID-19 and highlight their potential as therapeutic targets.
由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）病毒引起的2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）可导致严重的肺部疾病，尤其是间质性肺纤维化。
我们的研究追踪了16例COVID-19患者在感染后1个月、3个月和6个月收集的系列支气管肺泡灌洗（BAL）测量中纤维化标志物的进展情况。此外，还纳入了10名健康对照受试者的BAL样本。我们使用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）、酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）和免疫荧光技术，监测纤维化的分子标志物，并研究半乳糖凝集素-1和-3与关键促纤维化介质之间的相互作用。
我们发现，与对照组相比，6个月时α平滑肌肌动蛋白（αSMA）阳性巨噬细胞增加，αSMA、转化生长因子β（TGFβ）和结缔组织生长因子（CTGF）的mRNA及蛋白水平升高。此外，半乳糖凝集素-1和半乳糖凝集素-3浓度呈时间依赖性增加，且与促纤维化标志物显著相关。
这些发现表明，半乳糖凝集素在COVID-19后促进纤维化进展，凸显了它们作为治疗靶点的潜力。
