scholarly journals Renin-angiotensin system blockade on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and TMPRSS2 in human type II pneumocytes

Life Sciences ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 120324
Author(s):  
Mauro G. Silva ◽  
Nora L. Falcoff ◽  
Gerardo R. Corradi ◽  
José Alfie ◽  
Rolando F. Seguel ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro G Silva ◽  
Nora L Falcoff ◽  
Gerardo C Corradi ◽  
José Alfie ◽  
Rolando F. Seguel ◽  
...  

Abstract Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) acts as the receptor for the type 2 coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV2), the etiological agent of coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19). There has been a growing concern that renin-angiotensin (RAS) blockade increases the expression of ACE2 and then elevate patient susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report that age, smoking and RAS blockade influence on the percentage of human ACE2-expressing type II pneumocytes. These findings may explain the increased susceptibility to COVID-19 with age and in subjects with treated cardiovascular-related pathologies. Enhanced ACE2-expressing type II pneumonocytes would facilitate SARS-CoV2 infection, thus increasing patient susceptibility to acute respiratory distress syndrome development because of an unbalance between the pressor and depressor axis of the RAS due to ACE2 sequestration by the virus.


TH Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. e138-e144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Miesbach

AbstractThe activated renin–angiotensin system induces a prothrombotic state resulting from the imbalance between coagulation and fibrinolysis. Angiotensin II is the central effector molecule of the activated renin–angiotensin system and is degraded by the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 to angiotensin (1–7). The novel coronavirus infection (classified as COVID-19) is caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and is characterized by an exaggerated inflammatory response that can lead to severe manifestations such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, and death in a proportion of patients, mostly elderly patients with preexisting comorbidities. SARS-CoV-2 uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor to enter the target cells, resulting in activation of the renin–angiotensin system. After downregulating the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II is increasingly produced and its counterregulating molecules angiotensin (1–7) reduced. Angiotensin II increases thrombin formation and impairs fibrinolysis. Elevated levels were strongly associated with viral load and lung injury in patients with severe COVID-19. Therefore, the complex clinical picture of patients with severe complications of COVID-19 is triggered by the various effects of highly expressed angiotensin II on vasculopathy, coagulopathy, and inflammation. Future treatment options should focus on blocking the thrombogenic and inflammatory properties of angiotensin II in COVID-19 patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 126 (10) ◽  
pp. 1456-1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Gheblawi ◽  
Kaiming Wang ◽  
Anissa Viveiros ◽  
Quynh Nguyen ◽  
Jiu-Chang Zhong ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Annalise E Zemlin ◽  
Owen J Wiese

Since the first cases of atypical pneumonia linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, were described in late December 2019, the global landscape has changed radically. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and at the time of writing this review, just over three million individuals have been infected with more than 200,000 deaths globally. Numerous countries are in ‘lockdown’, social distancing is the new norm, even the most advanced healthcare systems are under pressure, and a global economic recession seems inevitable. A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the aetiological agent. From experience with previous coronavirus epidemics, namely the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2004 and 2012 respectively, it was postulated that the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor is a possible port of cell entry. ACE2 is part of the renin-angiotensin system and is also associated with lung and cardiovascular disorders and inflammation. Recent studies have confirmed that ACE2 is the port of entry for SARS-CoV-2. Male sex, advanced age and a number of associated comorbidities have been identified as risk factors for infection with COVID-19. Many high-risk COVID-19 patients with comorbidities are on ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, and this has sparked debate about whether to continue these treatment regimes. Attention has also shifted to ACE2 being a target for future therapies or vaccines against COVID-19. In this review, we discuss COVID-19 and its complex relationship with ACE2.


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