Open AccessParticulate matter exposure exacerbates susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humanized ACE2 mice
Author(s) -
Tengyu Zhu,
Huan Qiu,
Qiqi Cao,
Zhenhao Duan,
Liu Feng-liang,
Tian-Zhang Song,
Yang Liu,
Yaqun Fang,
Guangming Wu,
YongTang Zheng,
Wenjun Ding,
Ren Lai,
Lin Jin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
zoological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 19
ISSN - 2095-8137
DOI - 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.088
Subject(s) - tmprss2 , coronavirus , angiotensin converting enzyme 2 , virology , outbreak , biology , serine protease , virus , immunology , covid-19 , protease , enzyme , medicine , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , biochemistry
The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as of 8 May 2021, has surpassed 150 700 000 infections and 3 279 000 deaths worldwide. Evidence indicates that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected on particulate matter (PM), and COVID-19 cases are correlated with levels of air pollutants. However, the mechanisms of PM involvement in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 remain poorly understood. Here, we found that PM exposure increased the expression level of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in several epithelial cells and increased the adsorption of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Instillation of PM in a hACE2 mouse model significantly increased the expression of ACE2 and Tmprss2 and viral replication in the lungs. Furthermore, PM exacerbated the pulmonary lesions caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in the hACE2 mice. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that PM is an epidemiological factor of COVID-19, emphasizing the necessity of wearing anti-PM masks to cope with this global pandemic.