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. 2022 Aug 4:15:4449-4466.
doi: 10.2147/JIR.S374304. eCollection 2022.

Differences in B-Cell Immunophenotypes and Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 After Administration of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) Vaccine in Individuals with and without Prior COVID-19 - A Prospective Cohort Study

José Javier Morales-Núñez  1 , Mariel García-Chagollán  1 , José Francisco Muñoz-Valle  1 , Saúl Alberto Díaz-Pérez  1 , Paola Carolina Torres-Hernández  2 , Saraí Citlalic Rodríguez-Reyes  3 , Guillermo Santoscoy-Ascencio  4 , José Julio Sierra García de Quevedo  4 , Jorge Hernández-Bello  1
Affiliations

Differences in B-Cell Immunophenotypes and Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 After Administration of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) Vaccine in Individuals with and without Prior COVID-19 - A Prospective Cohort Study

José Javier Morales-Núñez et al. J Inflamm Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: Understanding the humoral immune response dynamics carried out by B cells in COVID-19 vaccination is little explored; therefore, we analyze the changes induced in the different cellular subpopulations of B cells after vaccination with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech).

Methods: This prospective cohort study evaluated thirty-nine immunized health workers (22 with prior COVID-19 and 17 without prior COVID-19) and ten subjects not vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 (control group). B cell subpopulations (transitional, mature, naïve, memory, plasmablasts, early plasmablast, and double-negative B cells) and neutralizing antibody levels were analyzed and quantified by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively.

Results: The dynamics of the B cells subpopulations after vaccination showed the following pattern: the percentage of transitional B cells was higher in the prior COVID-19 group (p < 0.05), whereas virgin B cells were more prevalent in the group without prior COVID-19 (p < 0.05), mature B cells predominated in both vaccinated groups (p < 0.01), and memory B cells, plasmablasts, early plasmablasts, and double-negative B cells were higher in the not vaccinated group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: BNT162b2 vaccine induces changes in B cell subpopulations, especially generating plasma cells and producing neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. However, the previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 does not significantly alter the dynamics of these subpopulations but induces more rapid and optimal antibody production.

Keywords: B cell; BNT162b2; SARS-CoV-2; immunophenotype; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow cytometry analysis of B cell subsets and frequency of total B cells. Gating strategy for identifying the indicated B cell subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) previously selected from singlets gate (FSC-A vs FSC-H).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Subpopulations of B cells after the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. (A) Total B cells, (B) transitional B cells, (C) virgin B cells, (D) mature B cells, (E) memory B cells, (F) plasmablasts, (G) early plasmablasts, and (H) double-negative B cells.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Subpopulations of B cells after the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. (A) Total B cells, (B) transitional B cells, (C) virgin B cells, (D) mature B cells, (E) memory B cells, (F) plasmablasts, (G) early plasmablasts, and (H) double-negative B cells.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in B-cell subpopulations after the first and second BNT162b2 doses in the groups with and without prior COVID-19. (A) Percentages of total B cells in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (B) with prior COVID-19. (C) Percentages of transitional B cells in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (D) with prior COVID-19. (E) Percentages of virgin B cells in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (F) with prior COVID-19. (G) Percentages of early plasmablast in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (H) with prior COVID-19.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Variation in B-cell subpopulations after the first and second doses of BNT162b2 in the groups with and without prior COVID-19. (A) Percentages of mature B cells in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (B) with prior COVID-19. (C) Percentages of memory B cells in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (D) with prior COVID-19. (E) Percentages of plasmablasts in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (F) with prior COVID-19. (G) Percentages of double-negative B cells in individuals without prior COVID-19 and (H) with prior COVID-19.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Correlation between neutralizing antibodies after the first and second BNT162b2 dose with B cell subpopulations. (A) Transitional B cells, (B) virgin B cells, (C) mature B cells, (D) plasmablast, (E) double-negative B cells in the first dose, and (F) transitional B cells in the second dose.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Correlation between neutralizing antibodies and subpopulations of B cells according to antecedent with and without prior COVID-19. (A) Transitional B cells in the group without prior COVID-19, (B) transitional B cells, (C) mature B cells, and (D) plasmablasts in the group with prior COVID-19, all of the first BNT162b2 dose.
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