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Clin Microbiol Rev
. 2022 Feb 2;e0018821.
doi: 10.1128/cmr.00188-21. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Lung Regeneration
Fuxiaonan Zhao # 1 , Qingwen Ma # 1 , Qing Yue # 1 , Huaiyong Chen 1 2 3 4
Affiliations
- PMID: 35107300
- DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00188-21
Abstract
The lung is the primary site of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced immunopathology whereby the virus enters the host cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Sophisticated regeneration and repair programs exist in the lungs to replenish injured cell populations. However, known resident stem/progenitor cells have been demonstrated to express ACE2, raising a substantial concern regarding the long-term consequences of impaired lung regeneration after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, clinical treatments may also affect lung repair from antiviral drug candidates to mechanical ventilation. In this review, we highlight how SARS-CoV-2 disrupts a program that governs lung homeostasis. We also summarize the current efforts of targeted therapy and supportive treatments for COVID-19 patients. In addition, we discuss the pros and cons of cell therapy with mesenchymal stem cells or resident lung epithelial stem/progenitor cells in preventing post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. We propose that, in addition to symptomatic treatments being developed and applied in the clinic, targeting lung regeneration is also essential to restore lung homeostasis in COVID-19 patients.
Keywords: cell therapy; lung injury; mesenchymal stem cells; post-acute sequelae of COVID-19; resident epithelial stem/progenitor cells.