Abstract
Aim: The renal lesions–including severe acute kidney injury–are severe outcomes in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections. There are no reports regarding the influence of the nutritional status on the severity and progress of these lesions. Ageing is also an important risk factor. Methods: In the present study we compared the influence of overweight and undernutrition on the levels of renal angiotensin converting enzymes 1 and 2 (ACE and ACE2), which were evaluated by Western blotting. Since the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has been implicated in the progress of kidney failure during coronavirus disease 2019, the influence of Angiotensin-(3-4) [Ang-(3-4)] was investigated. Ang-(3-4) is the shortest angiotensin-derived peptide, which is considered the physiological antagonist of several Ang II effects. Results: Both overweight and undernutrition downregulate the levels of ACE2 without influence on the levels of ACE in proximal tubules from kidney rats. Administration of Ang-(3-4) upregulates ACE2 to levels above the control in overweight but not in undernourished rats. Conclusions: Chronic undernourishment and overnourishment conditions play a central role in the renal ACE/ACE2 balance, and that the role of RAAS is also different in overweight and undernutrition.
Highlights
Since the first report of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China on 31 December 2019 and isolation of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus on January 7, 2020, the number of infections is still growing with an accelerated rate, as well as the number of deaths worldwide [1]
Both overweight and undernutrition downregulate the levels of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) without influence on the levels of angiotensin converting enzyme ACE2 (ACE) in proximal tubules from kidney rats
Chronic undernourishment and overnourishment conditions play a central role in the renal ACE/ACE2 balance, and that the role of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is different in overweight and undernutrition
Summary
Since the first report of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China on 31 December 2019 and isolation of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus on January 7, 2020, the number of infections is still growing with an accelerated rate, as well as the number of deaths worldwide [1]. Even though the illness was considered a viral infection targeting the respiratory system [3], some cases developed into septic shock [4, 5], in which acute kidney injury (AKI) plays a central role [6]. Even though some studies have demonstrated an increased risk for infected patients with renal lesions [8, 9], pre-renal mechanisms for AKI-and progression to chronic lesions–must be considered besides the direct interaction of the virus with ACE2. Reduction of blood and O2 supply aggravate kidney lesions during COVID-19 infection
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