Researchers studying mRNA COVID-19 vaccines say they have identified a possiblebiological mechanism that may help explain rare cases of myocarditis, particularly in younger males.A Stanford Medicine–related study suggests that immune signaling proteins called CXCL10 and IFN-gamma may be involved in triggering inflammatory responses.
In lab and animal models, certain immune cells exposed to vaccine components produced these signals, which were linked to inflammation that could affect heart tissue.
While the vaccines are widely considered highly effective and generally safe, myocarditis has been observed in a small number of cases, and scientists have been trying to understand why it occurs.
