COVID-19 and RAS: Unravelling an Unclear Relationship

IJMS, Vol. 21, Pages 3003: COVID-19 and RAS: Unravelling an Unclear Relationship:

IJMS, Vol. 21, Pages 3003: COVID-19 and RAS: Unravelling an Unclear Relationship

International Journal of Molecular Sciences doi: 10.3390/ijms21083003

Authors:
Damiano D’Ardes
Andrea Boccatonda
Ilaria Rossi
Maria Teresa Guagnano
Francesca Santilli
Francesco Cipollone
Marco Bucci


The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a main role in regulating blood pressure and electrolyte and liquid balance. Previous evidence suggests that RAS may represent an important target for the treatment of lung pathologies, especially for acute respiratory distress syndrome and chronic fibrotic disease. The scientific community has recently focused its attention on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R) inhibitors and their possible benefit/harms for patients infected by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who experience pneumonia, but there are still some doubts about the effects of these drugs in this setting.