Frontiers in Medicine
Intravitreal exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is associated with aggravated retinal lesions in a murine model of central retinal vein occlusion
Purpose To explore effects of SARS-CoV-2 ocular infection on severity of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and the associated cellular and molecular clues. Methods The spike protein (SP) was intravitreally administered to mimic the pathological process of SARS-CoV-2 ocular infection. Eight-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control (NOR), CRVO, 0.2 SP + CRVO, 0.4 SP + CRVO, and 0.8 SP + CRVO groups. The CRVO group was intravitreally injected with phosphate-buffered saline, an …