Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the target population for vaccination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as they are at a high risk of exposure and transmission of pathogens to patients. Neutralizing antibodies developed after COVID-19 vaccination decline within few months of vaccination. Several...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21645515.2023.2273697 |
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| author | Simona Anticoli Maria Dorrucci Elisabetta Iessi Flavia Chiarotti Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio Maria Rosaria Vinci Salvatore Zaffina Vincenzo Puro Francesca Colavita Klizia Mizzoni Silvia Meschi Nicoletta Vonesch Christian Albano Elena Ortona Anna Ruggieri Paola Tomao |
| author_facet | Simona Anticoli Maria Dorrucci Elisabetta Iessi Flavia Chiarotti Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio Maria Rosaria Vinci Salvatore Zaffina Vincenzo Puro Francesca Colavita Klizia Mizzoni Silvia Meschi Nicoletta Vonesch Christian Albano Elena Ortona Anna Ruggieri Paola Tomao |
| author_sort | Simona Anticoli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the target population for vaccination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as they are at a high risk of exposure and transmission of pathogens to patients. Neutralizing antibodies developed after COVID-19 vaccination decline within few months of vaccination. Several factors, including age and sex, can affect the intensity, efficacy, and duration of immune response to vaccines. However, sex-specific analyses of humoral responses to COVID-19 vaccines are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate sex-based differences in anti-S/RBD (Receptor Binding Domain) responses at three different time points after the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in HCWs in relation to age, and to investigate the role of sex hormones as potential markers of response. Anti-S/RBD levels after two doses of the mRNA vaccine were collected from 521 HCWs naïve to COVID-19, working at two Italian Clinical Centers. Multiple regression analysis was applied to evaluate the association between anti-S levels and sex, age, and plasma levels of sex hormones. Significantly higher anti-S/RBD response to the COVID-19 vaccination was found in female HCWs, and a significant and more abrupt decline in response with time was observed in women than that in men. A novel, positive association of testosterone plasma levels and higher anti-S levels in male HCWs was found, suggesting its potential role as sex specific marker in males. In conclusion, understanding the sex-based differences in humoral immune responses to vaccines may potentially improve vaccination strategies and optimize surveillance programs for HCWs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dacddd3133cb404bbfec76ad3be72ddf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2164-5515 2164-554X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics |
| spelling | doaj-art-dacddd3133cb404bbfec76ad3be72ddf2025-08-20T02:03:27ZengTaylor & Francis GroupHuman Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics2164-55152164-554X2023-12-0119310.1080/21645515.2023.2273697Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workersSimona Anticoli0Maria Dorrucci1Elisabetta Iessi2Flavia Chiarotti3Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio4Maria Rosaria Vinci5Salvatore Zaffina6Vincenzo Puro7Francesca Colavita8Klizia Mizzoni9Silvia Meschi10Nicoletta Vonesch11Christian Albano12Elena Ortona13Anna Ruggieri14Paola Tomao15Reference Center for Gender-specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], Rome, ItalyDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], Rome, ItalyReference Center for Gender-specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], Rome, ItalyReference Center for the Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, [Italian National Institute of Health], Rome, ItalyOccupational Medicine Unit, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, ItalyOccupational Medicine Unit, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, ItalyOccupational Medicine Unit, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, ItalyUOC Emerging Infections and CRAIDS, National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani IRCSS, Rome, ItalyUOC Lab of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani IRCSS, Rome, ItalyUOC Lab of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani IRCSS, Rome, ItalyUOC Lab of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani IRCSS, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, ItalyB cell Lab, Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, ItalyReference Center for Gender-specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], Rome, ItalyReference Center for Gender-specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], Rome, ItalyDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, ItalyHealthcare workers (HCWs) are the target population for vaccination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as they are at a high risk of exposure and transmission of pathogens to patients. Neutralizing antibodies developed after COVID-19 vaccination decline within few months of vaccination. Several factors, including age and sex, can affect the intensity, efficacy, and duration of immune response to vaccines. However, sex-specific analyses of humoral responses to COVID-19 vaccines are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate sex-based differences in anti-S/RBD (Receptor Binding Domain) responses at three different time points after the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in HCWs in relation to age, and to investigate the role of sex hormones as potential markers of response. Anti-S/RBD levels after two doses of the mRNA vaccine were collected from 521 HCWs naïve to COVID-19, working at two Italian Clinical Centers. Multiple regression analysis was applied to evaluate the association between anti-S levels and sex, age, and plasma levels of sex hormones. Significantly higher anti-S/RBD response to the COVID-19 vaccination was found in female HCWs, and a significant and more abrupt decline in response with time was observed in women than that in men. A novel, positive association of testosterone plasma levels and higher anti-S levels in male HCWs was found, suggesting its potential role as sex specific marker in males. In conclusion, understanding the sex-based differences in humoral immune responses to vaccines may potentially improve vaccination strategies and optimize surveillance programs for HCWs.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21645515.2023.2273697COVID-19vaccinesex differenceanti-S/RBDestrogentestosterone |
| spellingShingle | Simona Anticoli Maria Dorrucci Elisabetta Iessi Flavia Chiarotti Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio Maria Rosaria Vinci Salvatore Zaffina Vincenzo Puro Francesca Colavita Klizia Mizzoni Silvia Meschi Nicoletta Vonesch Christian Albano Elena Ortona Anna Ruggieri Paola Tomao Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics COVID-19 vaccine sex difference anti-S/RBD estrogen testosterone |
| title | Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers |
| title_full | Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers |
| title_fullStr | Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers |
| title_short | Association between sex hormones and anti-S/RBD antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare workers |
| title_sort | association between sex hormones and anti s rbd antibody responses to covid 19 vaccines in healthcare workers |
| topic | COVID-19 vaccine sex difference anti-S/RBD estrogen testosterone |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21645515.2023.2273697 |
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