Chen Ping, Yen Hung-Rong, Lee Hui-Ju, Wu Mei-Yao, Park Kyungmo, Song Ying-Chyi
School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Chinese Medicine Research Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2025 Dec;21(1):2553371. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2025.2553371. Epub 2025 Sep 5.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classifies individuals into constitution types that may influence physiological responses. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines induce spike-specific antibodies and activate B and T cells, including memory subsets. This study investigates whether TCM constitution types are associated with immune responses and adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination. From March 2021 to December 2023, 78 adults received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, MVC-COV1901, and Pfizer-BioNTech. PBMCs were collected before and after vaccination. Immune parameters-cytokines, antibody titers, dendritic cells (DCs), T cells, B cells, and memory T cell subsets-were measured. TCM constitution scores were determined using the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ) before vaccination. Adverse reactions were recorded through structured surveys, and correlations between constitution scores and adverse events were analyzed using the Pearson correlation. Pre-vaccination TNF-α was negatively correlated with the gentleness constitution and positively with the qi-deficiency. DCs increased post-vaccination in individuals with qi-deficiency, phlegm-dampness, qi-depression, yin-deficiency, dampness-heat, and special diathesis constitutions. T cell proportions increased in yin-deficiency, dampness-heat, and special diathesis groups. Dampness-heat scores were negatively correlated with central memory T cell (Tcm) induction. No significant correlations were found between constitution types and antibody levels or neutralization. Adverse reactions were more frequent in individuals with phlegm-dampness, qi-depression, and blood-stasis constitutions, and less frequent in those with a gentleness constitution. TCM constitutions correlate with cellular immune responses and adverse reaction profiles, but not antibody production, after COVID-19 vaccination. This supports integrating TCM constitution frameworks into personalized vaccine prediction.
中医将个体分为不同的体质类型，这些体质类型可能会影响生理反应。严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）疫苗可诱导刺突特异性抗体并激活B细胞和T细胞，包括记忆亚群。本研究调查了中医体质类型是否与新冠病毒疫苗接种后的免疫反应及不良事件相关。2021年3月至2023年12月，78名成年人接种了两剂新冠病毒疫苗，包括阿斯利康、莫德纳、MVC-COV1901和辉瑞-BioNTech疫苗。在接种疫苗前后采集外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）。检测免疫参数——细胞因子、抗体滴度、树突状细胞（DC）、T细胞、B细胞和记忆T细胞亚群。在接种疫苗前，使用中医体质问卷（CCMQ）确定中医体质得分。通过结构化调查记录不良反应，并使用Pearson相关性分析体质得分与不良事件之间的相关性。接种疫苗前，肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）与平和质呈负相关，与气虚质呈正相关。气虚质、痰湿质、气郁质、阴虚质、湿热质和特禀质个体接种疫苗后DC增加。阴虚质、湿热质和特禀质组的T细胞比例增加。湿热质得分与中枢记忆T细胞（Tcm）诱导呈负相关。未发现体质类型与抗体水平或中和作用之间存在显著相关性。痰湿质、气郁质和血瘀质个体的不良反应更频繁，平和质个体的不良反应较少。新冠病毒疫苗接种后，中医体质与细胞免疫反应及不良反应谱相关，但与抗体产生无关。这支持将中医体质框架纳入个性化疫苗预测。
