A potential impact of SARS-CoV-2 on pituitary glands and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors.
Endocrine
; 72(2): 340-348, 2021 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1159631
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The effects of SARS-CoV-2 on normal pituitary glands function or pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) have not yet been elucidated. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the potential risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the impairment of pituitary glands and the development of PitNETs.METHODS:
PitNETs tissues were obtained from 114 patients, and normal pituitary gland tissues were obtained from the autopsy. The mRNA levels of ACE2 and angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AGTR1) were examined by quantitative real-time PCR. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for ACE2 in 69 PitNETs and 3 normal pituitary glands. The primary tumor cells and pituitary cell lines (MMQ, GH3 and AtT-20/D16v-F2) were treated with diminazene aceturate (DIZE), an ACE2 agonist, with various dose regimens. The pituitary hormones between 43 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were compared with 45 healthy controls.RESULTS:
Pituitary glands and the majority of PitNET tissues showed low/negative ACE2 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels, while AGTR1 showed high expression in normal pituitary and corticotroph adenomas. ACE2 agonist increased the secretion of ACTH in AtT-20/D16v-F2 cells through downregulating AGTR1. The level of serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) was significantly increased in COVID-19 patients compared to normal controls (p < 0.001), but was dramatically decreased in critical cases compared to non-critical patients (p = 0.003).CONCLUSIONS:
This study revealed a potential impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on corticotroph cells and adenomas.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Neuroendocrine Tumors
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Endocrine
Journal subject:
Endocrinology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12020-021-02697-y
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