Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2025
Isolation and Purification of Murine Cardiac Pericytes
Published on: August 16, 2019
Human Cardiac Pericytes Are Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Brittany D Brumback1,2, Oleksandr Dmytrenko1, Ashley N Robinson1
1Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Insights
Human cardiac pericytes can be infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. This infection triggers inflammation and cell death, potentially contributing to cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Virology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is linked to severe cardiovascular issues with unclear causes.
- Pericytes are crucial for maintaining vascular integrity and supporting endothelial cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the susceptibility of human cardiac pericytes to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- To explore the mechanisms and consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cardiac pericytes.
- To examine the presence of cardiac pericyte infection in COVID-19 myocarditis.
Main Methods:
- Organotypic slice cultures and primary human cardiac pericyte cultures were used to assess SARS-CoV-2 permissiveness.
- Viral entry mechanisms, inflammatory marker expression, and cell death pathways (including NF-κB) were analyzed.
- Cardiac tissues from COVID-19 myocarditis patients were examined for evidence of pericyte infection.
Main Results:
- Human cardiac pericytes were found to be permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro.
- Viral entry occurred via endosomal proteases, leading to increased inflammatory markers and NF-κB-dependent cell death.
- Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cardiac pericytes was identified in patients with COVID-19 myocarditis.
Conclusions:
- Human cardiac pericytes are a direct target for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Pericyte infection may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19.
- Targeting pericyte infection could be a therapeutic strategy for COVID-19-related heart conditions.
Abstract:
COVID-19 is associated with serious cardiovascular complications, with incompletely understood mechanism(s). Pericytes have key functions in supporting endothelial cells and maintaining vascular integrity. We demonstrate that human cardiac pericytes are permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection in organotypic slice and primary cell cultures. Viral entry into pericytes is mediated by endosomal proteases, and infection leads to up-regulation of inflammatory markers, vasoactive mediators, and nuclear factor kappa-B-dependent cell death. Furthermore, we present evidence of cardiac pericyte infection in COVID-19 myocarditis patients. These data demonstrate that human cardiac pericytes are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest a role for pericyte infection in COVID-19.
