Attapon Cheepsattayakorn1,2*, Ruangrong Cheepsattayakorn3 and Porntep Siriwanarangsun1
1Faculty of Medicine, Western University, Pathumtani Province, Thailand 210th Zonal Tuberculosis and Chest Disease Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand 3Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
*Corresponding Author: Attapon Cheepsattayakorn, 10th Zonal Tuberculosis and Chest Disease Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Received: January 31, 2022; Published: February 16, 2022
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2), a monocarboxypeptidase for cleaving several peptides within the renin-angiotensin system and other substrates that widely expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and the kidneys, with relatively low expression in the lungs [1] (Figure 1). Interestingly, higher RNA expression of ACE 2 in lung AT2 cells was found in Asian donors, compared to African and white American donors [2]. Soluble ACE 2 that lacks the membrane anchor circulates in small volumes in the blood [3]. ACE 2 and TMPRSS 2 protein expression are identified mainly in the cytoplasm and cytomembrane of the epithelial cells in the serous acinus cells in submandibular and parotid salivary glands and in vitro, exogenous ACE 2 and TMPRSS 2 can anchor and fuse to human oral mucosa and the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 can bind to ACE 2 receptors in the salivary glands [4]. A recent study demonstrated that during the hospitalization period, 25% of COVID-19 patients reported of taste impairment, 20% of patients reported of difficulty in swallowing, and 15% of patients reported of burning sensation [5]. A recent study proposed that chewing gum with SARS-CoV-2-trapping proteins can debulking virus in saliva and minimizing viral transmission [6] (Figure 2).
Citation: Attapon Cheepsattayakorn., et al. “Potential Salivary Coronavirus Infection Therapy with Soluble Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2". Acta Scientific Microbiology 5.3 (2022): 31-32.
Copyright: © 2022 Attapon Cheepsattayakorn., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.