TMPRSS2-coagulation nexus: a novel molecular link revealed by pairwise correlation analysis following AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccination in a Nigerian cohort.

Authors

Erens Spiff Ekprikpo, Zaccheaus Awortu Jeremiah, Stella Urekweru Ken-Ezihuo, Beauty Eruchi Echonwere-Uwikor

Published in

Blood coagulation & fibrinolysis : an international journal in haemostasis and thrombosis. Oct 20, 2026. Epub Oct 20, 2026.

Abstract

To investigate the pairwise molecular-haematological and coagulation correlations, specifically evaluating the relationship between TMPRSS2 gene expression and coagulation profiles, following AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccination within an African population.
In this case-control study, 102 adults (51 vaccinated with AstraZeneca ≥6 months prior, 51 unvaccinated controls) aged 18-65 years in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, were evaluated. Full blood count (Sysmex XN-1000), PT/aPTT (Erba Mannheim), RNA concentration, and qRT-PCR for ACE2/TMPRSS2 (normalized to GAPDH) were performed. Pearson correlations and t-tests were conducted (SPSS v26, P < 0.05).
The AstraZeneca-vaccinated group demonstrated a statistically significant prolongation of mean aPTT compared to unvaccinated controls (34.233 ± 0.653 s vs. 28.196 ± 0.657 s, P < 0.0001), with both group means falling within the laboratory reference interval (20-40 s). A statistically significant inverse correlation was observed between TMPRSS2 cycle threshold (CT) values and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) among vaccinated participants (r = -0.325, P = 0.0202), whereas no corresponding association was detected in unvaccinated controls. Because CT values are inversely proportional to transcript abundance, this indicates that higher relative expression of TMPRSS2 (lower CT values) correlates with a progressively longer aPTT baseline. No participant reported severe thrombotic or haemorrhagic complications.
This secondary analysis identified a statistically significant inverse correlation between TMPRSS2 CT values and aPTT among AstraZeneca-vaccinated individuals. The baseline parameters confirm that this variation occurs within physiological normal boundaries at least 6 months postvaccination, suggesting a potential long-term molecular-haemostatic homeostatic adaptation rather than a transient acute-phase prothrombotic response.

PMID:
42895309
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Oct 2026.

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