Abstract
COVID-19, a recently emerged disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, can present with different degrees of severity and a large variety of signs and symptoms. The oral manifestations of COVID-19 often involve the tongue, with loss of taste being one of the most common symptoms of the disease. This study aimed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA and assess possible morphological and immunopathological alterations in the lingual tissue of patients who died with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sixteen cadavers from 8 SARS-CoV-2 positive (COVID-19+) and 8 negative (COVID-19-) subjects provided 16 tongues, that were biopsied. Samples underwent molecular analysis through Real-Time RT-PCR for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Lingual papillae were harvested and processed for histological analysis and for immunohistochemical evaluation for ACE2, IFN-γ and factor VIII. Real-Time RT-PCR revealed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in filiform, foliate, and circumvallate papillae in 6 out of 8 COVID-19+ subjects while all COVID-19- samples resulted negative. Histology showed a severe inflammation of COVID-19+ papillae with destruction of the taste buds. ACE2 and IFN-γ resulted downregulated in COVID-19+ and no differences were evidenced for factor VIII between the two groups. The virus was detectable in most COVID-19+ tongues. An inflammatory damage to the lingual papillae, putatively mediated by ACE2 and IFN-γ in tongues from COVID-19+ cadavers, was observed. Further investigations are needed to confirm these findings and deepen the association between taste disorders and inflammation in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; lingual papillae; taste buds; tongue.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, lingual papillae, taste buds, tongue., 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Inflammation, ACE2, SARS-COV-2 infection, severity, Symptom, RT-PCR, virus, Symptoms, Morphological, Signs and symptoms, Patient, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, Taste, oral manifestations, real-time RT-PCR, histology, disease, molecular analysis, tongue, IFN-γ, association, taste buds, factor VIII, Inflammatory, manifestation, cadaver, lingual, circumvallate papillae, two groups, tissue, subject, alteration, no difference, no differences, loss of taste, disorder, severe inflammation, positive, histological analysis, destruction, filiform, detect, Sample, caused, died, detectable, the disease, provided, variety, evidenced, downregulated, processed, immunopathological, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, lingual, aspect,