Renin-angiotensin system at the heart of COVID-19 pandemic
- Others:
- Thoracic Surgery Department [Paris] ; Hôpital Cochin [AP-HP] ; Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)
- Cancer, Immune Control, and Escape [Paris] ; Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers (CRC (UMR_S_1138 / U1138)) ; École pratique des hautes études (EPHE) ; Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE) ; Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Technologie Biologiche ed Ambientali [Lecce] ; Università del Salento [Lecce]
- Homéostasie Cellulaire, Cancer et Thérapies [Paris] ; Toxicité environnementale, cibles thérapeutiques, signalisation cellulaire (T3S - UMR_S 1124) ; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)
- Digestive Disease Department [Nice] ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (CHU Nice)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)
- Hepatic Complications of Obesity [Nice] ; Centre méditerranéen de médecine moléculaire (C3M) ; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) (UNS) ; COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) (UNS) ; COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)
- The work has been supported by INSERM institutional grants.
Description
Significant aspects of COVID-19 pandemic remain obscure. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a component of the renin-angiotensin system, whose expression dominates on lung alveolar epithelial cells, is the human cell receptor of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. We strongly encourage the concept that thorough considerations of receptor-ligand interactions should be kept at the heart of scientific debate on infection. In this idea, the whole renin-angiotensin system has to be evaluated. We hypothesize that factors related to ethnicity, environment, behaviors, associated illness, and medications involving this complex system are probably responsible for situations regarded as anomalous from both an epidemiological and a clinical point of view, but, taken together, such factors may explain most of the aspects of current outbreak. We decided to use the analogy of a play and speculate about the possible impact in this tragedy of 1) air pollution via the interference of nitrogen dioxide on ACE2 expression; 2) the dual role of nicotine; 3) the hypothetical involvement of ACE2 polymorphisms, the relationships of which with ethnic factors and susceptibility to cardiovascular disease seems intriguing; 4) the impact on the severity of infection of hypertension and related medications acting on the renin/angiotensin system, and, finally, 5) the possible helpful role of chloroquine, thanks to its capacity of modifying ACE2 affinity to the viral spike protein by altering glycosylation. This hypothesis paper is an urgent call for the development of research programs that aim at questioning whether the putative protagonists of this tragedy are real-life actors in COVID-19.
Abstract
International audience
Additional details
- URL
- https://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-02566815
- URN
- urn:oai:HAL:inserm-02566815v1
- Origin repository
- UNICA