SARS-CoV-2 and mitochondrial health: implications of lifestyle and ageing

Abstract

Infection with SARs-COV-2 displays increasing fatality with age and underlying co-morbidity, in particular, with markers of the metabolic syndrome and diabetes, which seems to be associated with a “cytokine storm” and an altered immune response. This suggests that a key contributory factor could be immunosenescence that is both age-related and lifestyle-induced. As the immune system itself is heavily reliant on mitochondrial function, then maintaining a healthy mitochondrial system may play a key role in resisting the virus, both directly, and indirectly by ensuring a good vaccine response. Furthermore, as viruses in general, and quite possibly this new virus, have also evolved to modulate immunometabolism and thus mitochondrial function to ensure their replication, this could further stress cellular bioenergetics. Unlike most sedentary modern humans, one of the natural hosts for the virus, the bat, has to “exercise” regularly to find food, which continually provides a powerful adaptive stimulus to maintain functional muscle and mitochondria. In effect the bat is exposed to regular hormetic stimuli, which could provide clues on how to resist this virus. In this paper we review the data that might support the idea that mitochondrial health, induced by a healthy lifestyle, could be a key factor in resisting the virus, and for those people who are perhaps not in optimal health, treatments that could support mitochondrial function might be pivotal to their long-term recovery.

Implications of central carbon metabolism in SARS-CoV-2 replication and disease severity

“…Our previous study, together with other observational studies, indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes dysregulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and HIF-1 signaling pathway [7,14,15], and affect mitochondrial functions [13,16]. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the altered extracellular glucose, mannose and glutamate levels are due to dysregulated carbohydrate metabolism and mitochondrial function.…”

Exercício físico e CoViD-19: aspectos de saúde, prevenção e recuperação: uma breve revisão narrativa

“…CoViD-19 uma doença do sistema endotelial O SARS-CoV2, agente etiológico da CoViD-19, causa danos a diversos sistemas do corpo humano, particularmente, aos pulmões, coração, cérebro, rins e sistema vascular (10). Isto se explica porque os receptores do SARS-CoV2 é a proteína ACE2, que se apresenta predominantemente nos alvéolos pulmonares e nas células epiteliais respiratórias, estando presente, ainda, no miocárdio, ílio, esôfago e no neuroepitélio olfatório (11). Nunn et al (11) explicam que o risco aumentado para o agravamento da CoViD-19 em obesos se deve ao fato de que os receptores ACE2 são encontrados no tecido adiposo: tanto no tecido visceral quanto no tecido subcutâneo.…”

“…Isto se explica porque os receptores do SARS-CoV2 é a proteína ACE2, que se apresenta predominantemente nos alvéolos pulmonares e nas células epiteliais respiratórias, estando presente, ainda, no miocárdio, ílio, esôfago e no neuroepitélio olfatório (11). Nunn et al (11) explicam que o risco aumentado para o agravamento da CoViD-19 em obesos se deve ao fato de que os receptores ACE2 são encontrados no tecido adiposo: tanto no tecido visceral quanto no tecido subcutâneo. Os autores apontam que é provável que outros agentes -CD26 ou CD147, possam estar atuando, também, como receptores do SARS-CoV2, que são alterados com a idade, bem como em comorbidades como obesidade e hipertensão.…”

“…O exercício físico promove a saúde de vários sistemas do organismo humano: cardio-vascular(16-18), endócrino (12,19), psicoló-gico (20,21), imunológico (11,20,22), respira-tório (23). Tais benefícios abrangentes podem explicar a associação de exercício físico com prevenção de diversos tipos de cânceres (24).…”

COVID-19: A Mitochondrial Perspective

“…Although due to coordinated efforts of the scientific community worldwide, we have made unprecedented progress in understanding the pathogenesis of COVID-19, a lot more needs to be learned. Mitochondrial dysfunction in COVID-19 is an emerging and interesting topic (Burtscher et al, 2020;Gibellini et al, 2020;Moreno Fernández-Ayala et al, 2020;Nunn et al, 2020;Shenoy, 2020;Singh et al, 2020). A better understanding of the role of mitochondria in COVID-19 may provide answers to the key perplexing questions.…”