ACE2 is a receptor of entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cells, and its upregulation has been implicated in increasing susceptibility of individuals to this infection. The clinical picture of COVID-19 suggests a role of ACE2 blockade, rather than its overexpression, in causing the pathogenesis. ACE2 blockade results in increased angiotensin II activity with simultaneous hampering of functions of angiotensin-(1-7)/MasR axis. Acute respiratory distress due to interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, cardiomyopathy and shock reported in COVID-19 patients can be explained by imbalanced angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7) activities. Failure of angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers to control the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections indicates the importance of simultaneous induction of angiotensin-(1-7)/MasR axis for correcting pathological conditions in COVID-19 through its anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory, and cardioprotective roles. MasR agonists have also shown organ protective effects in a number of animal studies. Unfortunately, these agonists have not been tested in clinical studies. Their evaluation in seriously ill COVID-19 patients is urgently warranted to reduce mortality due to infection.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.05.002 | DOI Listing |
Nutrients
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
Food protein-derived antihypertensive peptides have attracted substantial attention as a safer alternative for drugs. The regulation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is an essential aspect underlying the mechanisms of antihypertensive peptides. Most of the identified antihypertensive peptides exhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Invest
January 2025
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States of America.
Neutrophils, particularly low-density neutrophils (LDNs), are believed to contribute to acute COVID-19 severity. Here, we showed that neutrophilia can be detected acutely and even months after SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients and mice, while neutrophil depletion reduced disease severity in mice. A key factor in neutrophilia and severe disease in infected mice was traced to the chemokine CXCL12 secreted by bone marrow cells and unexpectedly, endothelial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain Res Bull
January 2025
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shaanxi Engineering and Research Center of Vaccine, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Education Ministry of China, Xi'an 710061, China. Electronic address:
Neuromedin B (NMB) has potentially great impacts on the development of cardiovascular diseases by promoting hypertensive and sympatho-excitation effects. However, studies regarding the NMB function in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) are lacking. With selective neuromedin B receptor (NMBR) antagonist, BIM-23127, we aim to determine whether the blockade of NMB function in PVN could alleviate central inflammation and attenuate hypertensive responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFree Radic Biol Med
December 2024
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, and Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. Electronic address:
Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation demonstrates a crucial act in the progression of neuropathic pain. Oxidative damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from NADPH oxidase (NOX) in microglia drives proinflammatory microglia activation. Recent evidence points to the central renin angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, with the angiotensin converting enzyme/angiotensin II/angiotensin receptor-1 (ACE/Ang II/AT1R) axis promoting inflammation through increased ROS production, counteracted by the ACE2/Ang (1-7)/Mas receptor (MasR) axis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Chem Chem Phys
December 2024
School of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a global pandemic and a serious impact on human life and health. The spread of this virus, coupled with the emergence of many mutants, has posed increasingly formidable challenges to the design and development of antiviral drugs. Recently, it has been discovered that dalbavancin can bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) of host cells with high affinity, blocking the interaction between the spike protein and ACE2, thereby making it a potentially promising anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug.
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