Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is required for the cellular entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. ACE2, via the Ang-(1-7)-Mas-R axis, is part of the antihypertensive and cardioprotective effects of the renin-angiotensin system. We studied hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hypertension and hypertensive human(h) ACE2 transgenic mice to determine the outcome of COVID-19 with or without AT1 receptor (AT1R) blocker treatment. The severity of the illness and the levels of serum cardiac biomarkers (CK, CK-BM, cTnI), as well as the inflammation markers (IL-1, IL-6, CRP), were lesser in hypertensive COVID-19 patients treated with AT1R blockers than those treated with other antihypertensive drugs. Hypertensive hACE2 transgenic mice, pretreated with AT1R blocker, had increased ACE2 expression and SARS-CoV-2 in the kidney and heart, 1 day post-infection. We conclude that those hypertensive patients treated with AT1R blocker may be at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, AT1R blockers had no effect on the severity of the illness but instead may have protected COVID-19 patients from heart injury, via the ACE2-angiotensin1-7-Mas receptor axis. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12265-021-10147-3.
【저자키워드】 Coronavirus disease 2019, angiotensin converting enzyme 2, hypertension, AT1 receptor blocker, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Treatment, SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, coronavirus, Biomarker, IL-6, SARS-COV-2 infection, severity, CRP, outcome, hACE2, kidney, renin-angiotensin system, serum, cellular entry, receptor, ACE2 expression, IL-1, hospitalized COVID-19 patient, AT1, COVID-19 patient, Heart injury, antihypertensive drugs, Post-infection, acute respiratory syndrome, AT1R, supplementary material, higher risk, enzyme, hypertensive, transgenic mice, blocker, Effect, required, treated, determine, had no, hypertensive COVID-19 patient, hypertensive patient, inflammation marker, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, hACE2, Inpatient, blocker, Effect, ATIR,