Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Annamaria Mascolo, Cristina Scavone, Concetta Rafaniello, Antonella De Angelis, Konrad Urbanek, Gabriella di Mauro, Donato Cappetta, Liberato Berrino, Francesco Rossi, Annalisa Capuano
Summary: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is now recognized as a local tissue system that affects organ function and can contribute to the onset of diseases. It operates in both the heart and lungs, with classic and non-classic pathways having different effects on cardiovascular and pulmonary health.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Filippos Triposkiadis, Andrew Xanthopoulos, Grigorios Giamouzis, Konstantinos Dean Boudoulas, Randall C. Starling, John Skoularigis, Harisios Boudoulas, Efstathios Iliodromitis
Summary: ACE2 acts as the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and can convert harmful substances to protective ones, suggesting that upregulation of ACE2 may be beneficial in mitigating COVID-19 risks. Limited involvement of ACE2 in the lung counter-regulatory RAS axis, increasing ACE2 expression may predispose to more severe disease, particularly in the presence of relevant risk factors.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Susanne Rysz, Jonathan Al-Saadi, Anna Sjostrom, Maria Farm, Francesca Campoccia Jalde, Michael Platten, Helen Eriksson, Margareta Klein, Roberto Vargas-Paris, Sven Nyren, Goran Abdula, Russell Ouellette, Tobias Granberg, Malin Jonsson Fagerlund, Johan Lundberg
Summary: Studies suggest that RAAS imbalance worsens the prognosis in COVID-19 patients, and experiments in pigs show that over-activation of ACE2 and RAAS can lead to a disease state similar to COVID-19 in humans. Imbalanced RAAS state in animals can be ameliorated by angiotensin receptor blockers and low-molecular-weight heparin.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Keiji Kuba, Tomokazu Yamaguchi, Josef M. Penninger
Summary: Seventeen years after the SARS epidemic, the emergence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has led to an unprecedented pandemic. ACE2 plays a crucial role in cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 and its high affinity to ACE2 results in increased infectivity and transmissibility. In addition to serving as the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, ACE2 also plays an important role in various aspects of COVID-19 pathogenesis and potential post-COVID-19 syndromes.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Murtala Bello Abubakar, Dawoud Usman, Gaber El-Saber Batiha, Natalia Cruz-Martins, Ibrahim Malami, Kasimu Ghandi Ibrahim, Bilyaminu Abubakar, Muhammad Bashir Bello, Aliyu Muhammad, Siew Hua Gan, Aliyu Ibrahim Dabai, M. Alblihed, Arabinda Ghosh, Reem H. Badr, Devarajan Thangadurai, Mustapha Umar Imam
Summary: COVID-19 is a potentially fatal multisystemic infection caused by SARS-CoV-2, with a lack of cost-effective, safe, and readily available therapeutic options. Traditional herbs used in African and Asian regions may contribute to a lesser burden of the pandemic. Ethnomedicinal plants containing bioactive compounds could potentially mitigate COVID-19 by modulating ACE2 activity.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Ikram Omar Osman, Clea Melenotte, Philippe Brouqui, Matthieu Million, Jean-Christophe Lagier, Philippe Parola, Andreas Stein, Bernard La Scola, Line Meddeb, Jean-Louis Mege, Didier Raoult, Christian A. Devaux
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to variations in ACE2 expression and Ang II plasma concentration, potentially affecting blood pressure regulation and COVID-19 outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hongyin Chen, Jiangyun Peng, Tengyao Wang, Jielu Wen, Sifan Chen, Yu Huang, Yang Zhang
Summary: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability, with hypertension as the most common risk factor. Excessive activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is closely related to cardiovascular dysfunction, leading to vascular remodeling and inflammation. The counter-regulatory axis of the RAS, including ACE2 and other components, has been shown to counteract the effects of the overactivated RAS. This review summarizes the complexity and interplay of the counter-regulatory RAS axis in hypertension, with a focus on the role of ACE2 in linking hypertension and COVID-19, and discusses the potential of targeting this axis to prevent and treat hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
M. Ekholm, T. Kahan
Summary: Atherosclerosis is a disease caused by chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, with up-regulated mediators of inflammation in affected individuals. Oxidative stress, imbalance between antioxidants and oxidants, leads to tissue damage. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system plays a vital role in vascular disease pathobiology, with angiotensin II causing hypertension and reactive oxygen species production. Blocking this system could potentially reduce inflammatory and thrombotic complications.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gavin Y. Oudit, Kaiming Wang, Anissa Viveiros, Max J. Kellner, Josef M. Penninger
Summary: ACE2 is the essential entry receptor for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and it has become one of the most targeted human molecules in biomedicine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ACE2 plays two crucial physiological roles: it alters peptide cascade balance as an enzyme and controls intestinal amino acid uptake as a chaperone. The tissue distribution of ACE2, influenced by comorbidities and sex, explains the wide range of coronaviruses' tropism and the clinical manifestations of SARS and COVID-19. ACE2-based therapeutics offer a universal strategy for preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infections, applicable to all SARS-CoV-2 variants and other emerging zoonotic coronaviruses that exploit ACE2 as their cellular receptor.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Minela Aida Maranduca, Daniela Maria Tanase, Cristian Tudor Cozma, Nicoleta Dima, Andreea Clim, Alin Constantin Pinzariu, Dragomir Nicolae Serban, Ionela Lacramioara Serban
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant stress on the medical community. ACE2, a cellular receptor for the virus, has been identified as a crucial component in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and is responsible for various processes in different organs. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to downregulation of ACE2 and disrupts the balance between ACE and ACE2 in organs, resulting in observed effects of COVID-19 infection.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Jae Hyun Bae, Hun Jee Choe, Michael F. Holick, Soo Lim
Summary: Vitamin D is associated with immune and inflammatory responses, and low levels have been linked to increased risk and severity of COVID-19. Supplementation of vitamin D can help reduce the risk and severity of COVID-19 outcomes.
REVIEWS IN ENDOCRINE & METABOLIC DISORDERS
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Alexis Q. Dean, William P. Bozza, Julianne D. Twomey, Shen Luo, Ancy Nalli, Baolin Zhang
Summary: ACE2 plays a dual role in COVID-19, depending on the stage of infection and coexisting diseases in patients.
DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Tanya Kadiyska, Ivan Tourtourikov, Kristiyan Dabchev, Radostina Cherneva, Nikolay Stoynev, Radka Hadjiolova, Vanyo Mitev, Demetrios A. Spandidos, Maria Adamaki, Vassilis Zoumpourlis
Summary: COVID-19 severe infection is associated with elevated auto-antibodies against specific receptors, which may contribute to vasoconstriction and inflammatory responses. The role and significance of these antibodies in disease severity are still not well understood and further research is needed.
MOLECULAR MEDICINE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Joao Oliveira, Joana Gameiro, Joao Bernardo, Filipe Marques, Claudia Costa, Carolina Branco, Ines Duarte, Jose Fonseca, Carolina Carreiro, Sandra Braz, Jose Antonio Lopes
Summary: In COVID-19 patients, older age, higher serum ferritin, and lactate levels at admission were independent predictors of mortality. Chronic treatment with RAAS inhibitors appeared to be protective and should not be discontinued according to the findings.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Neha Gupta, Lisa Settle, Brent R. Brown, Donna L. Armaignac, Michael Baram, Nicholas E. Perkins, Margit Kaufman, Roman R. Melamed, Amy B. Christie, Valerie C. Danesh, Joshua L. Denson, Sreekanth R. Cheruku, Karen Boman, Vikas Bansal, Vishakha K. Kumar, Allan J. Walkey, Juan P. Domecq, Rahul Kashyap, Christopher E. Aston
Summary: In hospitalized COVID-19 patients, prior use of a combination of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASIs) was associated with higher in-hospital mortality compared to the use of RAASIs alone. Compared to ARBs, ACEIs were associated with significantly higher mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Jake Shortt, Peter Y. Galettis, Chan Y. Cheah, Joanne Davis, Mandy K. Ludford-Menting, Emma K. H. Link, Jennifer H. Martin, Rachel Koldej, David Ritchie
Summary: NMP is a chemically active substance that has been found to have immunomodulatory and anti-myeloma properties. This study evaluated the maximum tolerated dose of orally administered NMP in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and assessed its safety, pharmacokinetics, overall response rate, and immunological biomarkers of activity. The results showed that NMP demonstrated potential disease stabilizing and immunomodulatory activity at sub-BET inhibitory plasma concentrations and was well tolerated in these patients.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Michael F. Jarvis, Emily Davies, Jennifer H. Martin
PHARMACOLOGY RESEARCH & PERSPECTIVES
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Saiful Islam, Muhammed H. H. Rahaman, Mingfeng Yu, Benjamin Noll, Jennifer H. H. Martin, Shudong Wang, Richard Head
Summary: Rilpivirine, an anti-viral drug, has been shown to inhibit the growth of leukemia cells and has potential as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Editorial Material
Oncology
Miao Yan, Yao Liu, Jennifer H. Martin
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marko Popovic, Jennifer H. Martin, Richard J. Head
Summary: We developed a mechanistic model to study the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, focusing on the relationship between viral diffusion in the mucosa and viral affinity for the ACE2 target receptor. Our analysis showed that higher affinity of ACE2 binding in SARS-CoV-2 results in faster and more complete mucosal diffusion in the upper airway. This diffusional process is crucial for the efficient entry and infection of the virus in the upper respiratory tract. On the other hand, the failure of SARS-CoV to follow this path leads to lower respiratory tract infection and decreased infectivity.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Kirsty G. Pringle, Lisa K. Philp
Summary: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a viral receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and also plays important physiological roles in different organs. Dysregulation of ACE2 abundance and activity has been implicated in various diseases. Emerging evidence highlights the role of ACE2 in COVID-19 susceptibility and severity.
JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Lachlan G. Schofield, Richard G. S. Kahl, Samantha L. Rodrigues, Joshua J. Fisher, Saije K. Endacott, Sarah J. Delforce, Eugenie R. Lumbers, Jacinta H. Martin, Kirsty G. Pringle
Summary: The (P)RR is a multifunctional receptor involved in activating tissue renin-angiotensin system and regulating intracellular pathways. Our study demonstrated that (P)RR plays a crucial role in placental development and function, affecting trophoblast cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, altered (P)RR expression leads to changes in placental morphology and maternal blood space.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ziqiu Tong, Lars Esser, Peter Galettis, Helmut Thissen, David Rudd, Christopher D. Easton, Azadeh Nilghaz, Bo Peng, Douer Zhu, Jennifer H. Martin, Nicolas H. Voelcker
Summary: This paper explores the use of a synthetic fluoropolymer, Teflon(TM) AF 2400, to functionalize organ-on-chip systems, reducing the absorption of hydrophobic compounds. Using CBD as a test compound, the researchers quantified CBD absorption into PDMS and found that surface modification with the fluoropolymer significantly increased CBD signals. The study also demonstrated the compatibility of fluoropolymer-modified microchannels for cell culture and CBD perfusion experiments.
Editorial Material
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Alicja Urbaniak, Kenneth E. Thummel, Ayoade N. Alade, Allan E. Rettie, Bhagwat Prasad, Amedeo De Nicolo, Jennifer H. Martin, David N. Sheppard, Michael F. Jarvis
PHARMACOLOGY RESEARCH & PERSPECTIVES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Lachlan George Schofield, Sarah A. Marshall, Sarah J. Delforce, Saije K. Morosin, Eugenie R. Lumbers, Kirsty G. Pringle
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Sonia Tamanna, Sarah J. Delforce, Saije K. Morosin, Dirk F. Van Helden, Eugenie R. Lumbers, Kirsty G. Pringle
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Alyssa J. Lochrin, Sarah J. Delforce, Eugenie R. Lumbers, Kirsty G. Pringle
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Saije K. Morosin, India A. Brooker, Ava Tollard, Richard G. S. Kahl, Oyepeju M. Onifade, Eugenie R. Lumbers, Kym Rae, Kirsty G. Pringle
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Sarah J. Delforce, Fisher J. Joshua, Eugenie R. Lumbers, G. Pringle Pringle
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jennifer H. Martin
Summary: There is a lack of public discussion on the costs and value of drug trials during COVID-19, as well as the failure of research funding to deliver medicines and vaccines for Australians. This has resulted in dependence on global supply chains and commercial pricing for vaccines. Cognitive biases and the absence of clinical pharmacologists in leadership teams may have contributed to these outcomes. Reflecting on and addressing these biases is crucial for Australia to develop better therapeutic and clinical trial strategies for future pandemics.
INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL
(2023)