ABSTRACT
l-Arginine is involved in many different biological processes and recent reports indicate that it could also play a crucial role in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Herein, we present an updated systematic overview of the current evidence on the functional contribution of L-Arginine in COVID-19, describing its actions on endothelial cells and the immune system and discussing its potential as a therapeutic tool, emerged from recent clinical experimentations.
Subject(s)
Arginine/metabolism , COVID-19/metabolism , Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Immune System/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , Animals , Arginine/therapeutic use , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/virology , Endothelial Cells/drug effects , Endothelial Cells/immunology , Endothelial Cells/virology , Host-Pathogen Interactions , Humans , Immune System/drug effects , Immune System/immunology , Immune System/virology , Nitric Oxide/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , COVID-19 Drug TreatmentABSTRACT
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic emerged in China in December 2019. Since then, there have been growing reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases with neurological involvement. We present a case of a 54-year-old woman who presented with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, complicated by a prolonged intensive care stay and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). This resulted in persistent cortical blindness (Anton's syndrome). PRES has only rarely been reported in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection and no patients have developed persistent cortical blindness. We summarise the clinical presentation of the patient and review the current literature.