tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pathogens
. 2021 Mar 22;10(3):379.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens10030379.
The Impact of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) Expression on the Incidence and Severity of COVID-19 Infection
Ahmed O Kaseb[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yehia I Mohamed[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alexandre E Malek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Issam I Raad[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lina Altameemi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Dan Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Omar A Kaseb[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Safa A Kaseb[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Abdelhafez Selim[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Qing Ma[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented threat to the international community and raised major concerns in terms of public health safety. Although our current understanding of the complexity of COVID-19 pathogenesis remains limited, the infection is largely mediated by the interaction of viral spike protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The functional importance of ACE2 in different demographic and comorbid conditions may explain the significant variation in incidence and mortality of COVID-19 in vulnerable groups, and highlights its candidacy as a potential therapeutic target. We provide evidence supporting the idea that differences in incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection may be related to ACE2. Emerging data based on the prevalence and severity of COVID-19 among those with established high levels of ACE2 expression strongly support our hypothesis. Considering the burden of COVID-19 infection in these vulnerable groups and the impact of the potential therapeutic and preventive measures that would result from adopting ACE2-driven anti-viral strategies, our hypothesis may expedite global efforts to control the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: ACE2; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; pandemic.
. 2021 Mar 22;10(3):379.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens10030379.
The Impact of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) Expression on the Incidence and Severity of COVID-19 Infection
Ahmed O Kaseb[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yehia I Mohamed[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alexandre E Malek[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Issam I Raad[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lina Altameemi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Dan Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Omar A Kaseb[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Safa A Kaseb[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Abdelhafez Selim[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Qing Ma[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33809851
- DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10030379
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented threat to the international community and raised major concerns in terms of public health safety. Although our current understanding of the complexity of COVID-19 pathogenesis remains limited, the infection is largely mediated by the interaction of viral spike protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The functional importance of ACE2 in different demographic and comorbid conditions may explain the significant variation in incidence and mortality of COVID-19 in vulnerable groups, and highlights its candidacy as a potential therapeutic target. We provide evidence supporting the idea that differences in incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection may be related to ACE2. Emerging data based on the prevalence and severity of COVID-19 among those with established high levels of ACE2 expression strongly support our hypothesis. Considering the burden of COVID-19 infection in these vulnerable groups and the impact of the potential therapeutic and preventive measures that would result from adopting ACE2-driven anti-viral strategies, our hypothesis may expedite global efforts to control the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: ACE2; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; pandemic.