It has been more than three years since the discovery of Covid-19, and three years later, researchers continue to make surprising discoveries about the disease. Recently, a new study notably showed that Covid-19 can cause infected cells to explode, thus causing pyroptosis, a type of cell death.
An immune process that causes inflammation and organ failure
It’s a fact: Covid-19 is a disease that can have significant impacts on our physical health, our mental health and our general well-being. A growing number of studies have shown that this condition can have disastrous side effects on humans, even several months – or even longer – after recovering from the infection. Ranging from sequelae in the lungs to loss of gray matter to memory loss, the list is long. And a new way in which Covid-19 damages organs has yet been discovered.
According to the study carried out by researchers from the Royal Free Hospital, London and Boston Children’s Hospital, infection with SARS-CoV-2 could cause some infected cells to explode. According to scientists, it is likely that this contributes to the development of severe symptoms of the disease. Indeed, this phenomenon is called pyroptosis, and if it does indeed kill viruses, this cellular explosion also releases dangerous particles into the bloodstream. These particles cause severe inflammation that damages the lungs and other internal organs.
” Inflammation and cell death are two important factors in severe cases of Covid-19, and our research shows that pyroptosis is often the culprit “, thus declared the Dr. Gautam Mehtaco-author of the study, at Mail Online. Furthermore, the researchers noted that pyroptosis is most often seen in patients with severe liver disease. It is also important to know that Covid-19 is not the only disease that can cause pyroptosis, as it is an immune function triggered in antimicrobial and antiviral processes. Moreover, there are several drugs that are supposed to fight against pyroptosis.
A discovery that will help the development of new treatments against Covid-19
The researchers noted that this is not the only immune process that damages cells when a patient has Covid-19. There is also a phenomenon similar to pyroptosis called ” cytokine storm “. A cytokine storm occurs when the immune system releases too many infection-fighting proteins called cytokines. This protein not only attacks diseased tissue, but also healthy tissue. This results in severe internal damage and often causes multiple organ failure. In association with pyroptosis, the cytokine storm is therefore probably the main cause of severe forms of Covid-19.
If the results of this study published in the journal Nature seem like bad news, the scientists explained that on the contrary, this discovery could help in the development of treatments for Covid-19. ” This is a major discovery, because currently our treatments against Covid-19 are directed towards the virus itself. If we can target the process that causes severe disease, we could develop an effective treatment that works even in patients for whom vaccines are not effective. “, explained the Dr Mehta.
[related_posts_by_tax taxonomies=”post_tag”]
The post Covid-19 can cause infected cells to ‘explode’, study finds appeared first on Gamingsym.