Diabetic Mice Spleen Vulnerability Contributes to Decreased Persistence of Antibody Production after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 25; no. 19; p. 10379
• Main Authors: Atef, Yara, Ito, Tomoya, Masuda, Akitsu, Kato, Yuri, Nishimura, Akiyuki, Kanda, Yasunari, Kunisawa, Jun, Kusakabe, Takahiro, Nishida, Motohiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.10.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adjuvants; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Antibody Formation - immunology; Antigens; Cardiomyopathy; Complications and side effects; COVID-19; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 vaccines; COVID-19 Vaccines - immunology; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - immunology; Ejection fraction; Glucose; Health aspects; Humans; Immune response; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin G - immunology; Immunology; Insulin; Lipids; Liver; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Obese; Morbidity; Mortality; mRNA vaccines; Obesity; Pandemics; Physiological aspects; Proteins; Respiratory diseases; S-protein; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - immunology; Spleen; Spleen - immunology; vaccination; Viral antibodies; Japan; COVID-19; S-protein; SARS-CoV-2; spleen; adjuvant optimization; diabetes; obesity; vaccination
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms251910379

During the COVID-19 pandemic, diabetic and obese patients experienced higher rates of hospital admissions, severe illness, and mortality. However, vaccinations failed to provide those vulnerable populations the same level of protection against COVID-19 severity as those without diabetic and obese phenotypes. Our study aimed to investigate how diabetes mellitus (DM) impacts the immune response following vaccination including the artificially designed trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike (S)-protein. By using two diabetic mouse models, ob/ob mice (obese, hyperglycemic, and insulin-resistant) and STZ-treated mice (insulin-deficient and hyperglycemic), we observed a significant reduction in S-protein-specific IgG antibody titer post-vaccination in both diabetic models compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Both diabetic mouse models exhibited significant abnormalities in spleen tissue, including marked reductions in splenic weight and the size of the white pulp regions. Furthermore, the splenic T-cell and B-cell zones were notably diminished, suggesting an underlying immune dysfunction that could contribute to impaired antibody production. Notably, vaccination with the S-protein, when paired with an optimal adjuvant, did not exacerbate diabetic cardiomyopathy, blood glucose levels, or liver function, providing reassurance about the vaccine's safety. These findings offer valuable insights into potential mechanisms responsible for the decreased persistence of antibody production in diabetic patients.