Vaccines against covid-19 based on messenger RNA technology may have fatigue as a side effect, although a study with mice suggests that changing the intramuscular to subcutaneous injection administration could help reduce this problem.
This is indicated by research led by Ayesa Syenina, from the Duke-Nus Medical School in Singapore, in which blood samples from vaccinated people are also analyzed to identify the molecular characteristics linked to a greater probability of fatigue after the puncture.
The study published by PLOS Biology suggests that changing the vaccine injection strategy could alleviate these adverse effectsaccording to tests carried out with mice that were given the Pfizer-BioNTech preparation.
One group of rodents received the vaccine intramuscularly, the current method for people, and the other was injected into the tissue just below the skin.
Following the injection, the team found that those given the preparation subcutaneously showed immune system responses that are consistent with a lower likelihood of adverse effects such as fatigue.
The authors noted that this change in vaccination strategy “did not appear to compromise” the protective effects of the vaccine.
Their research also involved 175 health workers vaccinated with Pfizer who gave blood samples to take a snapshot of the gene expression of each of them, that is, which genes are activated or deactivated.
The analysis revealed that thes People who experienced moderately severe fatigue after vaccination were more likely to to have a higher baseline expression of genes related to the activity of T cells and natural killer cells, which are two key cell types in the immune system.
The authors considered that further research is needed to develop these findings and explore their clinical significance, although they already add to the understanding of post-vaccination fatigue and offer a potential strategy to reduce its probability.
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The study also provides a “first look” at the molecular basis of a side effect that many have experienced, fatigue.
One of the study’s authors, Eng Eong Ooi, hoped that these findings would prompt further study “to fully understand the mechanisms underlying vaccine-associated side effects and collectively contribute to developing even more tolerable vaccines.”