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Article
Why Angiotensin II is a Poor Choice for Circulatory Support of Ventilated COVID-19 Patients Compared to Vasopressin
Medical Research Archives
  • Robert C Speth, Nova Southeastern University; Georgetown University
  • Michael Bader, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2022
Abstract

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic when it was first reported that SARS-CoV-2 used membrane-bound angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) as its receptor for entry into cells, warnings were raised against the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) because of their potential to increase ACE2 expression. These reports ignored the adverse effects that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) exerts on the cardiovascular system and kidneys via its primary hormone angiotensin (Ang) II acting upon AT receptors that could exacerbate the cytokine storm induced by SARS-CoV-2 . At one point it was even recommended that COVID-19 patients suffering from cardiovascular collapse be administered Ang II to restore blood pressure rather than norepinephrine or vasopressin . An alternative strategy for treating COVID-19 was the administration of soluble ACE2 (sACE2) to act as a decoy receptor for the virus, misdirecting it away from vulnerable cells expressing membrane bound ACE2 . However, a paper published in early 2021 described a scenario in which sACE2 and vasopressin played essential roles in SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells vulnerable to the virus. This commentary challenges both the and reports based upon their misconceptions and technical errors that pose a threat to the administration of life-saving therapies for severely affected COVID-19 patients.

ORCID ID

0000-0002-6434-2141

Citation Information
Robert C Speth and Michael Bader. "Why Angiotensin II is a Poor Choice for Circulatory Support of Ventilated COVID-19 Patients Compared to Vasopressin" Medical Research Archives Vol. 10 Iss. 9 (2022) ISSN: 2375-1916
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert-speth/58/