ACE2 Expression in Kidney and Testis May Cause Kidney and Testis Damage After 2019-nCoV Infection

[Treyfish]

:tiphat:https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.12.20022418v1.full.pdf


Abstract

In December 2019 and January 2020, novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) - infected pneumonia (NCIP) occurred in Wuhan, and has already posed a serious threat to public health. ACE2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2) has been shown to be one of the major receptors that mediate the entry of 2019-nCoV into human cells, which also happens in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS). Several researches have indicated that some patients have abnormal renal function or even kidney damage in addition to injury in respiratory system, and the related mechanism is unknown. This arouses our interest in whether coronavirus infection will affect the urinary and male reproductive systems. Here in this study, we used the online datasets to analyze ACE2 expression in different human organs. The results indicate that ACE2 highly expresses in renal tubular cells, Leydig cells and cells in seminiferous ducts in testis. Therefore, virus might directly bind to such ACE2 positive cells and damage the kidney and testicular tissue of patients. Our results indicate that renal function evaluation and special care should be performed in 2019-nCoV patients during clinical work, because of the kidney damage caused by virus and antiviral drugs with certain renal toxicity. In addition, due to the potential pathogenicity of the virus to testicular tissues, clinicians should pay attention to the risk of testicular lesions in patients during hospitalization and later clinical follow-up, especially the assessment and appropriate intervention in young patients' fertility

 

[Treyfish]

Surge in men panic buying at-home collection kits to freeze their sperm amid fears coronavirus will leave them unable to have kids - despite NO evidence the virus harms fertility
17:46 EDT, 13 April 2020

• Several sperm-freezing clinics have reported spikes in the number of men ordering their at-home collection kits
• Men cite concerns that COVID-19 could affect their fertility
• No research has linked coronavirus to infertility and viral illnesses in general don't affect the ability to reproduce, an NYU expert told DailyMail.com
• Fever can disrupt sperm production, but the effects are short-lived

Men are rushing to freeze their sperm amid the coronavirus pandemic, clinics claim - despite no concrete evidence that the virus will hurt male fertility.

Sales of CryoChoice's at-home sperm collection kits have spiked by as much as 20 percent in the last few weeks, their operations manager Heather Kilpatrick told the Daily Beast.

So far, there's no evidence to suggest that coronavirus damages sperm or male fertility.

But that's not stopping American men from flocking to sperm banks with mail-in collection services in a bid to save their seeds.
.....A study conducted at Nanjing Medical University in China - which was published as a preprint online but has not yet been peer-reviewed - examined the testicles and semen of 13 coronavirus patients, including 12 in recovery and one who died.

Despite confirmation that the men, all of whom were between ages 22 and 38, aside from the patient who died (aged 67), were infected with coronavirus, none of their semen or testicular tissues were positive for the virus.

As a result, the authors of the small study concluded that there is no reason to believe that coronavirus can be sexually transmitted.

They did not address if or how the men's sperm were affected by their infection.....https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-pandemic.html