Synergistic Detrimental Effects of Cigarette Smoke, Alcohol, and SARS-CoV-2 in COPD Bronchial Epithelial Cells.
Abenaya MuralidharanChristopher D BauerDawn M KatafiaszHeather M StrahAleem SiddiqueSt Patrick ReidKristina L BaileyTodd A WyattPublished in: Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) (2023)
Lung conditions such as COPD, as well as risk factors such as alcohol misuse and cigarette smoking, can exacerbate COVID-19 disease severity. Synergistically, these risk factors can have a significant impact on immunity against pathogens. Here, we studied the effect of a short exposure to alcohol and/or cigarette smoke extract (CSE) in vitro on acute SARS-CoV-2 infection of ciliated human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) collected from healthy and COPD donors. We observed an increase in viral titer in CSE- or alcohol-treated COPD HBECs compared to untreated COPD HBECs. Furthermore, we treated healthy HBECs accompanied by enhanced lactate dehydrogenase activity, indicating exacerbated injury. Finally, IL-8 secretion was elevated due to the synergistic damage mediated by alcohol, CSE, and SARS-CoV-2 in COPD HBECs. Together, our data suggest that, with pre-existing COPD, short exposure to alcohol or CSE is sufficient to exacerbate SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated injury, impairing lung defences.
Keyphrases
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- sars cov
- lung function
- risk factors
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- alcohol consumption
- oxidative stress
- coronavirus disease
- cystic fibrosis
- air pollution
- cancer therapy
- chronic pain
- drug delivery
- multidrug resistant
- electronic health record
- acute respiratory distress syndrome
- kidney transplantation
- intensive care unit