Coronavirus damages the Human Heart Muscle: Disrupting Sarcomeres and Displacing DNA

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Coronavirus damages the Human Heart Muscle: Disrupting Sarcomeres and Displacing DNA

September 14, 2020 by 2012pharmaceutical

Coronavirus damages the Human Heart Muscle: Disrupting Sarcomeres and Displacing DNA

Reporters: Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC and Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

‘Carnage’ in a lab dish shows how the coronavirus may damage the heart

By ELIZABETH COONEY @cooney_liz

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

In lab experiments, infection of heart muscle cells with SARS-CoV-2 caused long fibers to break apart into small pieces, shown above.GLADSTONE

The scientists first presented small amounts of virus to three types of human heart cells derived from stem cells: cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Only cardiomyocytes — the muscle cells — showed signs of viral infection that spread to adjacent muscle cells. They then obtained autopsy specimens from three Covid-positive patients and saw similar, though not identical, changes.

Together, the sarcomere and DNA damage caused by infection could explain earlier findings of heart damage as well as case reports of lingering weakness in patients who recovered from even mild Covid-19 — if they hold up to further scrutiny and are confirmed in more patient samples.

SOURCE

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/04/carnage-in-lab-dish-shows-how-coronavirus-may-damage-heart/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters

The Voice of Dr. Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC

Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC – Scientific Expert & Key Opinion Leader on Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiac Imaging & Complex Diagnosis in Cardiology: Senior Editor & Author

COVID19 is very damaging to heart muscle cells in a petri dish, disrupting sarcomeres (described as diced) and displacing DNA (described as black holes). Observations in a petri dish may not be clinically significant because the viral access, impact, exposure mechanisms and absence of usual defenses may be markedly different in s patient compared to the conditions in the petri dish, yet the observations are disturbing for the unusual pattern of destruction that has been described as carnage, plus the clinical observation that some patients with COVID19 do experience a decline in cardiac function at least acutely. If clinical relevance can be established, the petri dish offers an easy testing ground for potential interventions to mitigate the damage.