Sex Differences in the Immune Response to Chronic Periodontitis

A large body of evidence shows the harmful effects of cigarette smoke to oral and systemic health. Recently, a link between smoking and susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was proposed. Here, we examined the effects of cigarette smoke on SARS-CoV-2 infection in human gingival epithelial cells (GECs) to better understand the mechanisms involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells of the oral cavity. Treatment with CSC potentiated the internalization of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus in GEC by stimulating the AhR. Our study reveals that cigarette smoke upregulates SARS-CoV-2 infection in oral cells.

Author(s): John ‘Travis’ Huang, DDS ’24
Mentor(s): Dr. Han, Dr. Gaudilliere

Hinman Symposium Award

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