When a person gets infected with the novel coronavirus, the deadliest symptoms are usually showing up in the lungs. The reason for which this happens is understood now – the virus enters through ACE2 which is an enzyme that’s found on the surface of the lung cells. This helps damp down the inflammation. When this is interrupted, the inflammatory forces start running.
It seems that the ACE2 is more than just an entryway for infection and experts are saying that the enzyme could be pointing the way to a much-needed treatment for COVID-19.
Finding a useful drug to protect the lungs
According to the latest reports, Constant Therapeutics, which is a privately held Boston biotech company with a small staff, hopes that it was able to find the drug that addresses the need mentioned above.
“ACE2 operates like a referee in what’s called the renin-angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure. When angiotensin II, a peptide that constricts blood vessels, gets too high, ACE2 steps in and converts it to angiotensin-(1-7), a Gallant to its Goofus that relaxes vessels and reduces inflammation,” StatNews writes.
The website also mentions an expert who has something to say as well.
“The system seems to operate on a balance in which angiotensin-(1-7) is protective and angiotensin II is the bad guy,” according to Salvador Moncada, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Manchester. The expert is specialized in inflammatory disease.
We recommend that you check out the complete article in order to learn all the details about this amazing discovery.
Also, make sure to check out the latest information on whether we can expect a second wave of coronavirus to hit this year or not. It’s also worth noting that on Monday, the World Health Organization explained that the threat of coronavirus spreading from people who appear and feel healthy themselves is extremely low.
