ABSTRACT
Individuals with diabetes are at increased risk for bacterial, mycotic, parasitic, and viral infections. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 (also referred to as COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic highlights the importance of understanding shared disease pathophysiology potentially informing therapeutic choices in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Two coronavirus receptor proteins, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) are also established transducers of metabolic signals and pathways regulating inflammation, renal and cardiovascular physiology, and glucose homeostasis. Moreover, glucose-lowering agents such as the DPP4 inhibitors, widely used in subjects with T2D, are known to modify the biological activities of multiple immunomodulatory substrates. Here, we review the basic and clinical science spanning the intersections of diabetes, coronavirus infections, ACE2, and DPP4 biology, highlighting clinical relevance and evolving areas of uncertainty underlying the pathophysiology and treatment of T2D in the context of coronavirus infection.
Subject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , Animals , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/metabolism , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/complications , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/metabolism , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism , Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4/metabolism , Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors/pharmacology , Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Gastrointestinal Tract/metabolism , Humans , Insulin/therapeutic use , Lung/metabolism , Obesity/complications , Obesity/metabolism , Pandemics , Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/metabolism , Pneumonia, Viral/metabolism , Receptors, Coronavirus , Receptors, Virus/metabolism , Risk Factors , SARS-CoV-2 , Serine Endopeptidases/metabolismABSTRACT
The increased prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk factors in people hospitalized with severe COVID-19 illness has engendered considerable interest in the metabolic aspects of SARS-CoV-2-induced pathophysiology. Here, I update concepts informing how metabolic disorders and their co-morbidities modify the susceptibility to, natural history, and potential treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a focus on human biology. New data informing genetic predisposition, epidemiology, immune responses, disease severity, and therapy of COVID-19 in people with obesity and diabetes are highlighted. The emerging relationships of metabolic disorders to viral-induced immune responses and viral persistence, and the putative importance of adipose and islet ACE2 expression, glycemic control, cholesterol metabolism, and glucose- and lipid-lowering drugs is reviewed, with attention to controversies and unresolved questions. Rapid progress in these areas informs our growing understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection in people with diabetes and obesity, while refining the therapeutic strategies and research priorities in this vulnerable population.