COVID-19 and ACE2 Receptor in Different Tissues: From Pathophysiologic Function To Therapeutic Responses.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review detailing biological mechanisms without new primary human data.
PubMed 41769275 · doi:10.32592/ARI.2025.80.3.591
What was done
This narrative review summarizes literature regarding the mechanistic role of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor in SARS-CoV-2 infection across diverse organ systems (including the lungs, heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive system, and sensory organs) and discusses potential ACE2-targeted therapeutic strategies.
What was found
The abstract reports no empirical numbers or quantitative findings. It describes that SARS-CoV-2 utilizes ACE2 for host cell entry, downregulates ACE2 expression upon infection (which may exacerbate acute respiratory distress syndrome), and suggests that exogenous ACE2 administration could competitively bind SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to decrease viral entry.
Why it matters
The review synthesizes tissue-specific ACE2 distribution to explain extrapulmonary COVID-19 manifestations and outlines theoretical rationales for ACE2-based decoy therapeutics.
Limits
This is a narrative review detailing mechanistic concepts with no systematic search protocol, primary human clinical trials, or quantitative effect sizes reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- context The ACE2 receptor is primarily located in two places: the lungs and the gastrointestinal system.