Spike Proteins Continue to Be Produced for Over a Year After COVID-19 mRNA Shots, Causing Persistent Inflammation!
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Apr 14, 2025 1 day, 12 hours, 16 minutes ago
Medical News: A new scientific study has raised concerns that young adults who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may continue to produce the viral spike protein for over a year after injection. This unexpected persistence may result in prolonged immune system activation, triggering chronic inflammation and potentially increasing the risk of long-term health issues such as autoimmune conditions and cardiovascular damage.
Spike Proteins Continue to Be Produced for Over a Year After COVID-19 mRNA Shots,
Causing Persistent Inflammation
The study, conducted by researchers from King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, followed 84 healthy young adults over an average of 13 to 14 months after they received the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. The participants had an average age of 27.2 years, and both males and females were represented. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Immunity, Inflammation and Disease, focused on tracking the levels of specific cytokines—proteins that regulate immune response and inflammation—in the blood of the participants over time.
At the core of the findings lies a worrying trend. Instead of the expected decline in immune activity following vaccination, the researchers discovered a significant and lasting elevation in several pro-inflammatory cytokines even a year after the last mRNA vaccine dose. This
Medical News report takes a closer look at the data and what it could mean for public health moving forward.
A Year of Persistent Inflammation
The participants in the study were monitored before and after receiving their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, primarily the Pfizer-BioNTech formulation. Fasting blood samples and body measurements were taken at both time points. Over the follow-up period—13.3 months for adults and 14.1 months for adolescents—researchers found notable increases in weight and body mass index across the cohort. However, it was the dramatic shifts in cytokine levels that drew the most attention.
Key inflammatory markers such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) were all significantly elevated. These cytokines are associated with immune system hyperactivity and have been linked in prior studies to autoimmune diseases, vascular inflammation, and long COVID syndromes. IL-6 and TNF-α, in particular, are well-known markers in various chronic illnesses ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to myocarditis.
The elevation of these inflammatory cytokines so long after the vaccination suggests that the body may still be producing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein—the very same component encoded by the mRNA vaccine. The spike protein is intended to prime the immune system to fight off the virus, but ongoing production could mean the immune system remains constantly on alert, potentially leading it to attack the body’s own tissues in a misdirected response.
>Cytokines Tied to Autoimmunity and Tissue Remodeling
The study revealed that not just a few, but a broad spectrum of cytokines remained elevated for more than a year. These included IL-4 and IL-7, which are associated with immune regulation, as well as IL-17E, which is linked to allergic and autoimmune inflammation. Monocyte chemoattractant proteins MCP-1 and MCP-3, which play a role in attracting immune cells to sites of inflammation, also remained significantly increased.
Other elevated cytokines like VEGFA and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) are involved in blood vessel formation and tissue remodeling, processes that might be amplified due to prolonged inflammation. This could increase the risk of vascular damage over time.
Interestingly, the only cytokine that decreased was macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF), which supports the survival and differentiation of macrophages. A decrease in MCSF might reflect underlying immune dysregulation or a shift in immune cell populations resulting from long-term inflammation.
Differences by Age and Gender
Another key finding from the research was that immune responses varied significantly by gender and age. Males had much higher increases in IL-6, IL-4, and TNF-α levels than females. This contradicts previous data suggesting that women typically have stronger inflammatory responses to vaccines and infections. The study speculates that differences in sex hormones may be influencing these outcomes. Estrogen, found in higher levels in females, often has immune-modulating properties, whereas testosterone, dominant in males, can suppress immune function but might leave men more vulnerable to certain inflammatory reactions post-vaccination.
Age also played a role. Older participants in the cohort displayed stronger elevations in EGF, IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-α, whereas younger participants showed greater increases in VEGFA. This could reflect how aging affects the immune system’s ability to regulate inflammation, a phenomenon known as immunosenescence. This has long been known to reduce vaccine efficacy and increase the risk of adverse inflammatory responses in older adults.
A Mechanism of Concern
Researchers believe the persistent inflammation could be driven by the long-term presence of spike protein in the body. This is likely due to the use of modified nucleoside mRNA and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) in the vaccine formulation. These LNPs deliver the synthetic mRNA into cells, allowing the body to produce the spike protein. However, several studies have confirmed that both the mRNA and the LNPs can persist for weeks or even months, allowing continued spike protein production far longer than initially anticipated.
This ongoing presence of spike protein could mislead the immune system into thinking the body is still under viral attack, keeping it in a heightened state of alert. Over time, this may lead to chronic immune dysregulation, tissue damage, and increased vulnerability to autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases.
Findings in Line with Other Research
This study is not an outlier. More than 130 peer-reviewed papers have already documented similar findings. Research has shown that injected mRNA can spread throughout the body, persist in tissues, and lead to prolonged spike protein synthesis. Other studies have found spike protein fragments in the hearts and brains of vaccinated individuals who suffered severe side effects, even in the absence of actual SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Autopsy studies have also revealed traces of vaccine-derived spike protein in individuals who died from myocarditis and other complications, pointing to a need for further investigation into the biodistribution and long-term effects of mRNA vaccines, especially among the young and healthy.
Implications and Warnings
These findings raise important questions about the safety profile of mRNA vaccines, especially in low-risk populations such as healthy young adults. While the vaccines were initially celebrated for their effectiveness in preventing severe COVID-19 illness, the long-term effects of persistent spike protein production have not been adequately studied.
The researchers emphasized the need for follow-up studies that assess the biodistribution of the vaccine ingredients and the duration of spike protein production in different organs. They also called for age- and sex-specific evaluations of vaccine risks and benefits to better tailor public health strategies.
Conclusion
In summary, the study presents compelling evidence that young adults who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may experience prolonged immune system activation for more than a year after injection. This persistent stimulation appears to be driven by continued production of spike protein and the inflammatory effects of the lipid nanoparticle delivery system used in these vaccines. Males and older participants showed more pronounced inflammatory responses, which could put them at greater risk for long-term complications. While COVID-19 vaccines have saved lives, these findings suggest that their long-term effects, particularly in younger populations, require urgent re-evaluation. Understanding the immunological nuances in different demographics will be essential to developing safer, more personalized vaccine strategies in the future.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Immunity, Inflammation and Disease
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/iid3.70194
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