Impact of SARS-CoV-2 mediated salivary gland dysfunction on secreted salivary antimicrobial peptides and the risk for oral opportunistic infections

项目总结 最近，新冠肺炎携带者被发现体内携带复制的SARS-CoV-2病毒 唾液上皮细胞致炎、构筑扭曲和轻度萎缩 和主要的唾液腺。我们之前已经证明了组蛋白-5的重要性，一个 分泌的唾液抗菌肽，仅在唾液腺中产生，用于保护 口腔对抗白色念珠菌的机会性病原体。根据调查结果 我们推测，新冠肺炎患者可能患有唾液腺功能障碍。 新冠肺炎患者唾液中组蛋白-5水平降低可能是易感因素 这些人对长期的机会性感染和其他口腔粘膜疾病有一定的影响。在这 建议的临床研究，我们将利用我们开发的免疫分析来证明 新冠肺炎对组织蛋白-5的产生、念珠菌定植和诱导局部免疫的影响 激活。我们期望从这些研究中产生的发现将提供缺乏的机制 新冠肺炎患者唾液腺功能障碍的病理生理机制探讨 对口腔健康的影响。

PROJECT SUMMARY Recently, individuals with COVID-19 were found to harbor replicating SARS-CoV-2 inside salivary epithelial cells resulting in inflammation, architectural distortion, and atrophy of minor and major salivary glands. We have previously demonstrated the importance of histatin-5, a secreted salivary antimicrobial peptide exclusively produced in the salivary glands, in protecting the oral cavity against the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans. In light of the findings indicating that COVID-19 patients likely suffer from salivary gland dysfunction, we hypothesize that histatin-5 salivary levels are compromised in COVID-19 patients potentially predisposing these individuals to long term opportunistic infections and other oral mucosal conditions. In this proposed clinical study, we will utilize our developed immunoassay to demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 on histatin-5 production, Candida colonization, and induction of local immune activation. We expect the findings generated from these studies to provide lacking mechanistic insights into the pathophysiology of salivary gland dysfunction in COVID-19 patients, and its implications on the health of the oral cavity.