Yet, the relationship between neurological manifestations, neuroinflammation, and host immune response of microglia to SARS-CoV-2 has not been well characterized. Here, we report that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect human microglia, eliciting M1-like pro-inflammatory responses, followed by cytopathic effects.
Patients with more severe infection are more likely to have neurological manifestations and impairment and are at a higher risk of mortality (15).
Microglia are macrophage-like brain’s immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS). They have key functions in maintaining brain homeostasis and in the rapid response to injury and inflammation (16). When microglia respond to immunological stimuli, they become activated and transform from a ramified into an amoeboid morphology, releasing interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumour necrosis α (TNF-α) (17).
Increasing evidence suggests that the over-activation and dysregulation of microglia might result in disastrous and progressive neurotoxic consequences (21-24).
In brains of deceased COVID-19 patients, microgliosis and immune cell accumulation were observed (25), as well as microglial nodules caused by massive microglia activation in the medulla oblongata (26) and cerebellar dentate nuclei (27). The neuroinvasive capacity (28) and olfactory transmucosal invasion of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients (29) have also been reported.
Thus, we hypothesised that microglial activation by direct SARS-CoV-2 infection could be one of the major mechanisms driving the neuroinflammation and neurological complications.
Despite accumulating evidence, little is known regarding the mechanisms involved in the neuroinflammation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect human microglia and induce pro-inflammatory responses, reflecting polarization toward the M1 phenotype.
We further showed that the SARS-CoV-2 infection led to apoptosis as the cytopathic effect (CPE) through both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Moreover, we found that murine microglia expressing hACE2 were infected by intranasally administered SARS-CoV-2, followed by microglial pro-inflammatory activation and loss of their population.
reference link : https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.04.475015v1.full