Aging- and gender-related modulation of RAAS: potential implications in COVID-19 disease

Laura Monteonofrio; Maria Cristina Florio; Majd AlGhatrif; Edward G Lakatta; Maurizio C Capogrossi

doi:10.1530/VB-20-0014

Aging- and gender-related modulation of RAAS: potential implications in COVID-19 disease

Vasc Biol. 2020 Dec 11;3(1):R1-R14. doi: 10.1530/VB-20-0014. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Laura Monteonofrio¹, Maria Cristina Florio¹, Majd AlGhatrif^{1

2

3}, Edward G Lakatta¹, Maurizio C Capogrossi^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
² Longitudinal Study Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
³ Division of Cardiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 is frequently characterized by a marked inflammatory response with severe pneumonia and respiratory failure associated with multiorgan involvement. Some risk factors predispose patients to develop a more severe infection and to an increased mortality; among them, advanced age and male gender have been identified as major and independent risk factors for COVID-19 poor outcome. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is strictly involved in COVID-19 because angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the host receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and also converts pro-inflammatory angiotensin (Ang) II into anti-inflammatory Ang(1-7). In this review, we have addressed the effect of aging and gender on RAAS with emphasis on ACE2, pro-inflammatory Ang II/Ang II receptor 1 axis and anti-inflammatory Ang(1-7)/Mas receptor axis.

Keywords: ACE2; COVID-19; aging; cardiovascular disease; gender.

Publication types

Review