Pleiotropic Effects of Nitric Oxide on SARS-CoV-2 Infections

Infection by β-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coron-avirus-2) alters the homeostasis of the vascular endothelium, promoting an inflammatory state which causes damage and favors the prothrombotic state. The direct viral cytotoxicity induced by the SARS-CoV-2 leads to endoth...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Terroni, Barbara [UNESP], Lopes, Juliana Romano [UNESP], Chin, Chung Man [UNESP], Dos Santos, Jean Leandro [UNESP]
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2021
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repository:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/249656
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/2666796701999201230121515
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/249656
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:COVID-19
endothelium dysfunction
inhaled NO
nitric oxide
NO donors
SARS-COV-2
Description
Summary:Infection by β-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coron-avirus-2) alters the homeostasis of the vascular endothelium, promoting an inflammatory state which causes damage and favors the prothrombotic state. The direct viral cytotoxicity induced by the SARS-CoV-2 leads to endothelial cell death; thus, altering the vessel functions. Moreover, SARS-CoV infection induces endothelial dysfunction (ED) and reduces the levels of nitric oxide (NO); thus, aggravating the vascular injuries, which promotes thrombotic events due to an altera-tion in the homeostasis. NO is a pleiotropic molecule that induces vasodilation, regulates the immune response, inhibits platelet aggregation, and decreases the cellular adhesion to vascular en-dothelium. Moreover, NO acts directly against invasive agents, exhibiting antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity. High levels of NO result in an increase in the ED, causing an inflammatory amplification that aggravates the disease through undesirable positive feedback. The objective of this review was to present and discuss the involvement of NO on ED in SARS-CoV-2 infections. This review may also highlight new perspectives for therapeutic interventions through the supple-mentation of exogenous NO. The maintenance of homeostatic NO levels could represent a useful approach in the prevention of coronavirus-induced ED.