Impairment of health after overcoming the acute phase of COVID-19 is being observed more and more frequently. Here different symptoms of neurological and/or cardiological origin have been reported. With symptoms, which are very similar to the ones reported but are not caused by SARS-CoV-2, the occurrence of functionally active autoantibodies ( f AABs) targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR- f AABs) has been discussed to be involved. We, therefore investigated, whether GPCR- f AABs are detectable in 31 patients suffering from different Long-COVID-19 symptoms after recovery from the acute phase of the disease. The spectrum of symptoms was mostly of neurological origin (29/31 patients), including post-COVID-19 fatigue, alopecia, attention deficit, tremor and others. Combined neurological and cardiovascular disorders were reported in 17 of the 31 patients. Two recovered COVID-19 patients were free of follow-up symptoms. All 31 former COVID-19 patients had between 2 and 7 different GPCR- f AABs that acted as receptor agonists. Some of those GPCR- f AABs activate their target receptors which cause a positive chronotropic effect in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, the read-out in the test system for their detection (bioassay for GPCR- f AAB detection). Other GPCR- f AABs, in opposite, cause a negative chronotropic effect on those cells. The positive chronotropic GPCR- f AABs identified in the blood of Long-COVID patients targeted the β 2 -adrenoceptor (β 2 – f AAB), the α 1 -adrenoceptor (α 1 – f AAB), the angiotensin II AT1-receptor (AT1- f AAB), and the nociceptin—like opioid receptor (NOC- f AAB). The negative chronotropic GPCR- f AABs identified targeted the muscarinic M 2 -receptor (M 2 – f AAB), the MAS-receptor (MAS- f AAB), and the ETA-receptor (ETA- f AAB). It was analysed which of the extracellular receptor loops was targeted by the autoantibodies. Highlights • Sera from Long-COVID syndrome patients contained functionally active autoantibodies targeting G-protein coupled receptors. • Autoantibodies target β 2 – and α 1 -adrenoceptors, angiotensin II AT1-, muscarinic M 2 -, MAS-, nociceptin- and ETA-receptors. • Included syndromes were of neurological and cardiological origin, or a combination of both. • Such autoantibody patterns have previously been seen in COVID independent neurological deficits and cardiovascular disease.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Autoimmunity, fatigue, long-COVID, SARS, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, autoantibody, Post-covid-19 symptom, fAAB, Functional autoantibody, ACE2, Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors, α1-fAAB, Autoantibody targeting the alpha1-adrenoceptor, AT1-fAAB, Autoantibody targeting the angiotensin II AT1 receptor, β2-fAAB, Autoantibody targeting the beta2-adrenoceptor, CRPS, Complex regional pain syndrome, ETA-fAAB, Autoantibody targeting the endothelin receptor, GPCR, G-protein coupled receptors, MAS-fAAB, Autoantibody targeting the MAS receptor, M2-fAAB, Autoantibody targeting the muscarinic receptor, NOC-fAAB, Functionally active autoantibody against the nociceptin receptor, PoTS, Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, RAS, Renin angiotensin system, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, cardiovascular disease, Symptom, Symptoms, COVID, Health, cells, autoantibodies, Patient, Follow-up, receptors, receptor, Other, patients, Blood, Combination, AT1, neurological, COVID-19 patient, Neonatal, acute phase, syndrome, target receptor, opposite, Neurological deficit, independent, recovered COVID-19 patient, Combined, Extracellular, agonists, Occurrence, caused, involved, reported, investigated, detectable, the disease, analysed, activate, cardiological, cardiovascular disorder, G-protein, muscarinic, negative chronotropic, positive chronotropic, 【제목키워드】 Symptom, Patient, receptor, G-protein,