Oxidative Stress-Related Mechanisms in SARS-CoV-2 Infections

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused relatively high mortality in patients, especially in those with concomitant diseases (i.e., diabetes, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)). In most of aforementioned comorbidities, the oxidative stress appears to be an important player in their pathogenesis. The direct cause of death in critically ill patients with COVID-19 is still far from being elucidated. Although some preliminary data suggests that the lung vasculature injury and the loss of the functioning part of pulmonary alveolar population are crucial, the precise mechanism is still unclear. On the other hand, at least two classes of medications used with some clinical benefits in COVID-19 treatment seem to have a major influence on ROS (reactive oxygen species) and RNS (reactive nitrogen species) production. However, oxidative stress is one of the important mechanisms in the antiviral immune response and innate immunity. Therefore, it would be of interest to summarize the data regarding the oxidative stress in severe COVID-19. In this review, we discuss the role of oxidative and antioxidant mechanisms in severe COVID-19 based on available studies. We also present the role of ROS and RNS in other viral infections in humans and in animal models. Although reactive oxygen and nitrogen species play an important role in the innate antiviral immune response, in some situations, they might have a deleterious effect, e.g., in some coronaviral infections. The understanding of the redox mechanisms in severe COVID-19 disease may have an impact on its treatment.

Study of Albumin Oxidation in COVID-19 Pneumonia Patients: Possible Mechanisms and Consequences

“…ROS are produced in cells more rapidly due to their viral entry into the cytoplasm of the host epithelial cells. ROS production might be activated either by viral components or by cytokines [ 12 ]. Oxidative stress in cells leads to lipid peroxidation, which in turn produces aldehyde products.…”

“…Respiratory viral infections are, in general, associated with proinflammatory cytokine production, inflammation, cell apoptosis, and other pathophysiological processes, which lead to high levels of oxidative stress [ 9 ]. Indeed, some studies have revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection pathogenesis is related to oxidative stress [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Furthermore, COVID-19 patients with severe pulmonary involvement showed a higher level of endogenous oxidative markers than patients with mild disease [ 13 ].…”

Tracing the cell-type-specific modules of immune responses during COVID-19 progression using scDisProcema

“…Brown module was responsible for the immune responses of various cytokines, which might play an important role in the progression and prognosis of patients [53] , [54] . The grey module plays a vital role in oxygen transport and oxidative stress, the latter is an important part of the pathogenesis of COVID-19 [55] and interacts with the patients’ inflammatory response [56] . In addition, through PPI network analysis, we found that most of the identified hub genes were involved in MCODEs related to the cell invasion process induced by viruses, indicating the significant role of these genes in responding to virus infection.…”

Refleсtions on Implementing Elective Course in Molecular Pathology Into the Educational Program for Master’s Degree Students

“…Для прикладу можна навести COVID-19. Підчас розвитку ураження організму під впливом зазначеного вірусу відбувається розвиток оксидативного ушкодження різних органів та систем, яке спричиняється імунною відповіддю на інфекційний агент [10]. Тотальна блокада продукції активних форм кисню та азоту за цих умов є недоцільною.…”