ACE2 as a Key Target for Treatment of COVID-19 Related Cardiovascular Diseases: Current Progress and Prospect
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Updated: Nov 12, 2025

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Published on: May 12, 2023
Shuainan Li1, Wenya Ma1, Fan Yang1
1Department of Pharmacy at the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Department of Pharmacology (The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Research, Ministry of Education) at College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Abstract:
ACE2 has long been known as an injury protective protein, which can protect against a variety of organ damage such as the heart, liver, kidney, and lung. Especially in cardiovascular diseases, as a negative regulator of RAAS, ACE2 is an extremely important protective factor that mainly plays a role by converting Ang II to Ang-(1-7). Nevertheless, with the recent outbreak of COVID-19, it is exposed that another identity of ACE2 is the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2, which previously serves as the entry receptor for SARS. With the in-depth clinical research, it is found that the severity and susceptibility of COVID-19 are related to cardiovascular diseases, and SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2 receptor is also potentially associated with heart injury symptoms. Therefore, in this article, we mainly summarize the relationship between ACE2, COVID-19, and cardiovascular diseases/heart injury.
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