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Review
. 2021 Mar;22(1):1-10.
doi: 10.1007/s10561-020-09869-6. Epub 2020 Oct 8.

Effect of different human tissue processing techniques on SARS-CoV-2 inactivation-review

André Oliveira Paggiaro  1   2   3 , Viviane Fernandes Carvalho  4 , Rolf Gemperli  5
Affiliations
Review

Effect of different human tissue processing techniques on SARS-CoV-2 inactivation-review

André Oliveira Paggiaro et al. Cell Tissue Bank. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

The safety of the tissue transplant recipient is a top priority for tissue banks, and the emergence of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has raised significant concerns about the risks of releasing tissue for clinical use. In the present study, we conducted a literature review about the potential infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in different biological tissues and the influence of various tissue processing and sterilization procedures on viral inactivation. The search revealed that SARS-CoV-2 binds to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor to penetrate human cells. These receptors are present in skin cells, musculoskeletal tissue, amniotic membranes, cardiovascular tissue and ocular tissues, including the cornea. In general, we found that coronaviruses are stable at low temperatures, and inactivated upon exposure to extreme heat and pH. Notably, gamma irradiation, which has already been employed to inactivate SARS and MERS, could be useful for sterilizing skin, amnion and musculoskeletal tissues against SARS-CoV-2. We conclude that due to the limited information about the effects of physical and chemical tissue processing methods on viral neutralization, rigorous donor screening is still essential for tissue transplant recipient safety.

Keywords: Covid-19; Infections; Patient safety; Tissue transplantation; Virus inactivation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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