SACRAMENTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 1, 2020 / As we come to the brink of the New Year 2021, COVID-19 cases continue to rise alarmingly. A proportionate rise in the number of deaths due to COVID-19 can be expected as well. In order to minimize the burden of disease severity and fatalities, it is crucial to understand what mechanisms cause severe complications and death due to COVID-19. This will help identify strategies to prevent serious damage and mortality due to COVID-19.
In an article being published in the forthcoming issue of International Journal of Biological Sciences, Drs Pravin Goud (UC Davis, California IVF, Sacramento, CA), Husam Abu-Soud (Wayne State University, Detroit, MI) and their team explain in their multiple-hit model, how reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to rapid clinical deterioration and death (https://www.ijbs.com/v17p0062.pdf).
According to the model, neutrophils, a type of white blood cells, respond to the invading SARS-CoV-2 virus initiating a cascade of factors eventually leading to the release of ROS, which not only damage the very site of gas exchange in the lungs , namely the alveolar membrane, but also alter the hemoglobin molecule, the clotting system and the lung blood vessels.
The article describes the role of an enzyme released by the neutrophils called myeloperoxidase, which triggers a cascade of inflammatory and toxic agents such as superoxide, hypochlorous acid, hydroxyl ion and hydrogen peroxide. Together, these agents are capable of altering the structure and function of hemoglobin, leading to the release of free iron, which further contributes to increase in ROS. The ROS also deprive the lungs of another critical regulator of blood flow called nitric oxide, which leads to severe constriction of the blood vessels in the lungs. A simultaneous occurrence of these events results in severe oxygen deprivation of vital organs and tissues, resulting in irreversible damage and death.
Most healthy persons have an intact antioxidant defense system to protect the tissues and organs during inflammation; while individuals with chronic health conditions may have compromised anti-oxidant defenses, making them vulnerable to more serious complications. A robust antioxidant defense system is therefore critical in preventing serious damage and death among individuals affected by COVID-19.
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SOURCE: California IVF Fertility Center, UC Davis Medical Center
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