scholarly journals Pathological Role of Angiotensin II in Severe COVID-19

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.

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (12) ◽  
pp. 1115-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seldag Bekpinar ◽  
Ece Karaca ◽  
Selin Yamakoğlu ◽  
F. İlkay Alp-Yıldırım ◽  
Vakur Olgac ◽  
...  

Cyclosporine, an immunosuppressive drug, exhibits a toxic effect on renal and vascular systems. The present study investigated whether resveratrol treatment alleviates renal and vascular injury induced by cyclosporine. Cyclosporine (25 mg/kg per day, s.c.) was given for 7 days to rats either alone or in combination with resveratrol (10 mg/kg per day, i.p.). Relaxation and contraction responses of aorta were examined. Serum levels of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, angiotensin II, and angiotensin 1-7 were measured. Histopathological examinations as well as immunostaining for 4-hydroxynonenal and nitrotyrosine were performed in the kidney. RNA expressions of renin–angiotensin system components were also measured in renal and aortic tissues. Cyclosporine decreased the endothelium-dependent relaxation and increased vascular contraction in the aorta. It caused renal tubular degeneration and increased immunostaining for 4-hydroxynonenal, an oxidative stress marker. Cyclosporine also caused upregulations of the vasoconstrictive renin–angiotensin system components in renal (angiotensin-converting enzyme) and aortic (angiotensin II type 1 receptor) tissues. Resveratrol co-treatment prevented the cyclosporine-related deteriorations. Moreover, it induced the expressions of vasodilatory effective angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and angiotensin II type 2 receptor in aorta and kidney, respectively. We conclude that resveratrol may be effective in preventing cyclosporine-induced renal tubular degeneration and vascular dysfunction at least in part by modulating the renin–angiotensin system.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 147032031668877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zhu ◽  
Minjun Yang ◽  
Jiangbo Lin ◽  
Huanhuan Zhu ◽  
Yifei Lu ◽  
...  

Background and objective: Percutaneous coronary intervention, despite being effective for coronary revascularization, causes in-stent restenosis due to neointimal hyperplasia in a large number of patients. The renin-angiotensin system is involved in neointimal hyperplasia. This study sought to evaluate seven gene polymorphisms of key renin-angiotensin system components, including angiotensinogen, angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensin II type 1a receptors, and their associations with in-stent restenosis in patients with coronary artery disease following coronary stenting. Methods and results: Three hundred and fifty-two patients undergoing coronary drug-eluting stent implantation were recruited. Seventy-five patients (21.3%) were diagnosed as restenosis by angiography. Genotyping for angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion demonstrated a significant association of angiotensin-converting enzyme DD genotype with the occurrence of restenosis. Direct DNA sequencing revealed no association of angiotensinogen (M235T, G217A, G152A, G-6A, and A-20C) or angiotensin II type I receptor A1166C polymorphisms with in-stent restenosis. However, angiotensin II type 1a A1166C polymorphism was significantly associated with increased susceptibility to restenosis in a subgroup of patients aged more than 60 years. Conclusion: Thus, our study suggests that genetic polymorphisms of angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion are associated with in-stent restenosis in coronary artery disease patients following coronary stenting.


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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