ABSTRACT
Endothelial dysfunction is one of the key cornerstone complications of emerging and re-emerging viruses which lead to vascular leakage and a high mortality rate. The mechanism that regulates the origin of endothelial dysregulation is not completely elucidated. Currently, there are no potential pharmacological treatments and curable management for such diseases. In this sense, mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) has been emerging to be a promising therapeutic strategy in restoring endothelial barrier function in various lung disease, including ALI and ARDS. The mechanism of the role of MSCs in restoring endothelial integrity among single-strand RNA (ssRNA) viruses that target endothelial cells remains elusive. Thus, we have discussed the therapeutic role of MSCs in restoring vascular integrity by (i) inhibiting the metalloprotease activity thereby preventing the cleavage of tight junction proteins, which are essential for maintaining membrane integrity (ii) possessing antioxidant properties which neutralize the excessive ROS production due to virus infection and its associated hyper host immune response (iii) modulating micro RNAs that regulate the endothelial activation and its integrity by downregulating the inflammatory response during ssRNA infection.
Subject(s)
Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation , Mesenchymal Stem Cells , Virus Diseases , Antioxidants/metabolism , Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Humans , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/physiology , Metalloproteases/metabolism , RNA , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Tight Junction Proteins/metabolism , Virus Diseases/metabolismABSTRACT
Free radical release due to oxidative stress is gaining importance in the field of viral pathogenesis. Recent studies suggest the involvement of oxidative stress and ROS levels in regulating disease virulence during RNA virus infection. Most of the RNA virus infections lead to vascular dysfunction and disease severity. However, the biology of free radicals in maintaining vascular endothelium integrity is not completely understood. In the present review, we discuss some of the common features in positive-strand RNA virus infections such as dengue and SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that anti-oxidant therapy could pave the way to develop therapeutic strategies in combating emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses.