Elevated Cytokine Levels in Plasma of Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Do Not Contribute to Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Permeability
Anita Kovács‐Kása, Abdelrahman A. Zaied, Silvia Leanhart, Murat Koseoglu, Supriya Sridhar, Rudolf Lucas, David Fulton, José A. Vázquez, Brian H. Annex
Abstract
. Known endothelial barrier-disruptive agents and proposed mediators of increased endothelial permeability in SARS-CoV-2, induced changes in permeability that were smaller in magnitude and shorter in duration than plasma from patients with SARS-CoV-2. The effect on endothelial cell permeability of plasma from patients with SARS-CoV-2 was heat-labile. The main plasma factor that causes the increased endothelial permeability remains to be identified. Our study provides a possible approach for future studies to understand the underlying mechanisms leading to vascular injury in SARS-CoV-2 infections.