Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is currently a global public health emergency. Periodontitis, the most prevalent disease that leads to tooth loss, is caused by infection by periodontopathic bacteria. Periodontitis is also a risk factor for pneumonia and the exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, presumably because of the aspiration of saliva contaminated with periodontopathic bacteria into the lower respiratory tract. Patients with these diseases have increased rates of COVID-19 aggravation and mortality. Because periodontopathic bacteria have been isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with COVID-19, periodontitis may be a risk factor for COVID-19 aggravation. However, the molecular links between periodontitis and COVID-19 have not been clarified. In this study, we found that the culture supernatant of the periodontopathic bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum (CSF) upregulated the SARS-CoV-2 receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in A549 alveolar epithelial cells. In addition, CSF induced interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 production by both A549 and primary alveolar epithelial cells. CSF also strongly induced IL-6 and IL-8 expression by BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells and Detroit 562 pharyngeal epithelial cells. These results suggest that when patients with mild COVID-19 frequently aspirate periodontopathic bacteria, SARS-CoV-2 infection is promoted, and inflammation in the lower respiratory tract may become severe in the presence of viral pneumonia.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, proinflammatory cytokines, Periodontitis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, 【초록키워드】 Inflammation, Saliva, Coronavirus disease 2019, coronavirus, Mortality, Pneumonia, IL-6, SARS-COV-2 infection, Infection, risk factor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, Viral pneumonia, Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, Patient, IL-8, Mild, epithelial cells, Bacteria, receptor, molecular, disease, expression, pulmonary disease, CSF, A549, alveolar epithelial cells, Lower respiratory tract, Detroit, acute respiratory syndrome, global public health, culture supernatant, pharyngeal, BEAS-2B, prevalent, Fusobacterium, tooth, caused, addition, upregulated, bronchial epithelial cell, promoted, chronic obstructive, patients with COVID-19, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 Human, respiratory, induced, bacterium, Fusobacterium, the SARS-CoV-2,