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Updated: Nov 5, 2025

Modelling Zika Virus Infection of the Developing Human Brain In Vitro Using Stem Cell Derived Cerebral Organoids
Published on: September 19, 2017
Neurological Symptoms of COVID-19: The Zonulin Hypothesis
Sílvia Llorens1,2, Eduardo Nava1,2, Mónica Muñoz-López1,2
1Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of Albacete, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.
Abstract:
The irruption of SARS-CoV-2 during 2020 has been of pandemic proportions due to its rapid spread and virulence. COVID-19 patients experience respiratory, digestive and neurological symptoms. Distinctive symptom as anosmia, suggests a potential neurotropism of this virus. Amongst the several pathways of entry to the nervous system, we propose an alternative pathway from the infection of the gut, involving Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), zonulin, protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) and zonulin brain receptor. Possible use of zonulin antagonists could be investigated to attenuate neurological manifestations caused by SARS-CoV-19 infection.
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