A Translational Perspective of Maternal Immune Activation by SARS-CoV-2 on the Potential Prenatal Origin of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Role of the Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway

Frontiers in Psychology

Juan Carlos Echeverría¹  Alejandra Vargas-Caraveo²  Gustavo Pacheco-López²  José Javier Reyes-Lagos³  Hugo Mendieta-Zerón⁴  Eric Alonso Abarca-Castro⁵ 

[1]Basic Sciences and Engineering Division, Campus Iztapalapa, Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), Mexico City, Mexico

[2]Biological and Health Sciences Division, Campus Lerma, Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), Lerma, Mexico

[3]Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMex), Toluca, Mexico

[4]Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMex), Toluca, Mexico

[5]Health Institute of the State of Mexico (ISEM), “Mónica Pretelini Sáenz” Maternal-Perinatal Hospital, Toluca, Mexico

[6]Multidisciplinary Research Center in Education (CIME), Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMex), Toluca, Mexico

关键词: cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway;    quality of life;    COVID-19;    neurodevelopmental disorders;    human development;    heart rate variability;    SARS-CoV-2;    maternal immune activation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.614451

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The emergent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could produce a maternal immune activation (MIA) via the inflammatory response during gestation that may impair fetal neurodevelopment and lead to postnatal and adulthood mental illness and behavioral dysfunctions. However, so far, limited evidence exists regarding long-term physiological, immunological, and neurodevelopmental modifications produced by the SARS-CoV-2 in the human maternal-fetal binomial and, particularly, in the offspring. Relevant findings derived from epidemiological and preclinical models show that a MIA is indeed linked to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. We hypothesize that a gestational infection triggered by SARS-CoV-2 increases the risks leading to neurodevelopmental disorders of the newborn, which can affect childhood and the long-term quality of life. In particular, disruption of either the maternal or the fetal cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) could cause or exacerbate the severity of COVID-19 in the maternal-fetal binomial. From a translational perspective, in this paper, we discuss the possible manifestation of a MIA by SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent neurodevelopmental disorders considering the role of the fetal-maternal cytokine cross-talk and the CAP. Specifically, we highlight the urgent need of preclinical studies as well as multicenter and international databanks of maternal-fetal psychophysiological data obtained pre-, during, and post-infection by SARS-CoV-2 from pregnant women and their offspring.

【 授权许可】

CC BY