Coronavirus can cut cardiac fibroblasts into pieces

But findings in lab dishes do not necessarily apply to real-life medical science. So, the researchers analysed heart tissue samples from three new patients. They saw that myofibril fibres were disorganized and rearranged -- a similar pattern that seen in lab dishes, but not identical.

More research is needed to determine whether the changes in the myofibril segments of heart cells are permanent. The authors point out that scientists need to take a special, infrequently used method of looking at the myofibril segments to understand why this finding has been ignored in autopsies so far.

McDevitt said, “hopefully our results will inspire doctors to look back at their own patient samples and look for these features.”

The researchers observed another strange matter in both lab dish tests and in the heart tissue of patients with COVID-19. They discovered that in some heart cells, the DNA in their nuclei seemed missing. The authors say, this leaves the cells “brain dead” and unable to perform their normal functions.

Once scientists understand the mechanism by which form that Coronavirus destroys heart cells, they will be able to screen for specific drugs. For example, if the virus makes an enzyme to cut the myofibril, it might be possible to find a drug to interrupt the enzyme. (However, the authors indicate that it is unclear whether Coronavirus will directly cut the myofibrils or get cells cut the fibres by other mechanism)

“It’s important to find a protective treatment, a method to protect the heart from the sort of damage we see in the model,” McDevitt said. ”although we can’t stop the virus infecting the cells, we can give patients drugs to prevent these negative effects.”