Morphological Changes in the Myocardium of Patients with Post-Acute Coronavirus Syndrome: A Study of Endomyocardial Biopsies

Abstract

The clinical manifestation study of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) has shown a lack of knowledge regarding its morphology and pathogenesis. The aim of this research was to investigate morphological manifestations of PASC in the myocardium. Materials and Methods: The study included 38 patients requiring endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) during the post-acute phase of coronavirus infection and a control group including patients requiring EMB prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The patients’ clinical and laboratory data were analyzed. Histological examination and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of the myocardial tissue was conducted with antibodies to CD3, CD68, HLA-DR, MHC1, C1q, VP1 enteroviruses, spike protein SARS-CoV-2, Ang1, von Willebrand factor (VWF), and VEGF. The morphometric analysis included counting the mean number of inflammatory infiltrate cells per mm2 and evaluating the expression of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, HLA-DR, MHC1, C1q, Ang1, VWF, and VEGF using a scoring system. If the expression of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was >3 points, an additional IHC test with antibodies to ACE2, CD16 as well as RT-PCR testing of the myocardial tissue were performed. For two patients, immunofluorescence tests of the myocardial tissue were performed using antibody cocktails to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein/CD16, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein/CD68, CD80/CD163. The statistical data analysis was carried out using the Python programming language and libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib. Results: The study demonstrated a significant increase in the number of CD68+ macrophages in the myocardium of PASC patients compared to patients who did not have a history of COVID-19 (p = 0.014 and p = 0.007 for patients with and without myocarditis, respectively), predominantly due to M2 macrophages. An increase in the number of CD68+ macrophages was more frequently observed in patients with shorter intervals between the most recent positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test and the time of performing the EMB (r = −0.33 and r = −0.61 for patients with and without myocarditis, respectively). The expression scores of Ang1, VEGF, VWF, and C1q in PASC patients did not significantly differ from those in EMB samples taken before 2019. Conclusion: The myocardium of PASC patients demonstrated a significant increase in the number of CD68+ macrophages and a decrease in the expression of markers associated with angiopathy. No evidence of coronavirus-associated myocarditis was observed in any PASC patient.