ABSTRACT
Infection by beta-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.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.
ABSTRACT
The seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic with accumulating stress factors, including lack of pharmacotherapy, quarantine, social distancing, delay of vaccination, and economic uncertainties, may foster fear and psychiatric disorders that can precipitate or aggravate hair/scalp disease. Hair loss can lead to decreased self-esteem, potentiating the negative effects on social life and generating a vicious cycle of stress during the pandemic. The relationship between environment and behavior can also trigger epigenetic changes in diseases, which may influence the health of the next generations. In this review, we describe the interaction between the physiological mechanisms of stress on hair follicles and hair disorders and openly discuss during pandemic/post-pandemic (not genetically determined but epigenetically triggered) hair loss as a point of concern as a health marker for further development of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, psychiatric disorders, and others.Copyright © 2022 Bentham Science Publishers.