The Impact of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection Next to Pre-Immunization with Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) Vaccine on the 1-Day-Neonate’s Blood Plasma Small Non-Coding RNA Profile: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The antenatal and postnatal effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 on the fetus outcomes, especially in the case of maternal pre-vaccination against this infection, are still under investigation. Such effects may be due to placental insufficiency caused by maternal hypoxia and inflammatory response associated with SARS-CoV-2, and/or be a direct cytopathic effect of the virus. In this work, we studied the profile of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) in the blood plasma of a newborn from a mother who had SARS-CoV-2 at the 22nd week of gestation after immunization with Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V). The fetus had ultrasound signs of hypertrophy of the right heart and hydropericardium 4 weeks after infection of the mother with SARS-CoV-2, as well as cysts of the cerebral vascular plexuses by the time of birth. Taking this into account, we compared the sncRNA profile of this newborn on the first postpartum day with that of neonates born to COVID-19-negative women with different perinatal outcomes: severe cardiovascular and/or neurological disorders, or absence of any perinatal complications. According to next-generation sequencing data, we found that the fetus born to a COVID-19-affected mother pre-immunized with Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) vaccine differs from newborns with severe cardiovascular and/or nervous system abnormalities either in multidirectional changes in circulating sncRNAs or in less pronounced unidirectional changes in the level of sncRNAs relative to control samples. Considering this, it can be concluded that maternal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 before pregnancy has a protective effect in preventing antenatal development of pathological processes in the cardiovascular and nervous systems of the neonate associated with COVID-19.