Fibrin binds to proteins from the SARS-CoV-2 virus to form blood clots that are difficult to break down, the authors found. This clotting then drives the various inflammatory and neurological symptoms seen in COVID-19 and long COVID, the researchers found. Previous studies have theorized that blood clotting is a consequence of inflammation.
However, the new Nature study, published on Wednesday, shows the reverse: that the clotting comes first. “Our study is the first to report causality for fibrin as the root of inflammation and brain pathology after COVID infection,” Katerina Akassoglou, senior author and professor of neurology at UCSF, told The Epoch Times on email. By blocking fibrin using a novel antibody, the researchers were able to reduce clotting and neurological symptoms, offering a new potential therapeutic for patients.
“We showed that the binding of fibrin to spike forms clots that have very high inflammatory activity,” Akassoglou said. Researchers tested their findings in mice, infecting them with COVID-19 Beta and Delta variants. They found fibrin bound to COVID-19 spike proteins to form irregular amyloid-like clots that are difficult to break down using traditional therapies.
The researchers found that the spike and fibrin clots would be deposited in the blood vessels, lungs, and the brains of mice, leading to scarring and inflammation, potentially driving breathing and neurological problems seen in long COVID-19 patients. In the brain, COVID-19 infecti.