Obesogenic and Ketogenic Diets Distinctly Regulate the SARS-CoV-2 Entry Proteins ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and the Renin-Angiotensin System in Rat Lung and Heart Tissues.
Nutrients
; 13(10)2021 Sep 25.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1438684
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Obesity increases the severity of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes. Thus, this study tested whether obesogenic and ketogenic diets distinctly affect SARS-CoV-2 entry proteins and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in rat pulmonary and cardiac tissues.METHODS:
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either standard chow (SC), a high-fat sucrose-enriched diet (HFS), or a ketogenic diet (KD) for 16 weeks. Afterwards, levels of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), RAS components, and inflammatory genes were measured in the lungs and hearts of these animals.RESULTS:
In the lungs, HFS elevated ACE2 and TMPRSS2 levels relative to SC diet, whereas the KD lowered the levels of these proteins and the gene expressions of toll-like receptor 4 and interleukin-6 receptor relative to HFS. The diets did not alter ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in the heart, although ACE2 was more abundant in heart than lung tissues.CONCLUSION:
Diet-induced obesity increased the levels of viral entry proteins in the lungs, providing a mechanism whereby SARS-CoV-2 infectivity can be enhanced in obese individuals. Conversely, by maintaining low levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and by exerting an anti-inflammatory effect, the KD can potentially attenuate the severity of infection and migration of SARS-CoV-2 to other ACE2-expressing tissues.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Serine Endopeptidases
/
Diet, Ketogenic
/
Diet, High-Fat
/
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
/
COVID-19
/
Lung
/
Myocardium
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Animals
Language:
English
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Nu13103357
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