Renin News and Research

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Renin, also known as angiotensinogenase, is an enzyme that participates in the body's renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that mediates extracellular volume (i.e., that of the blood plasma, lymph and interstitial fluid), and arterial vasoconstriction. Thus, it regulates the body's mean arterial blood pressure.

Researchers Identify potent small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the USA and Sweden has recently screened 8 million small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2.

5 Apr 2021

Comorbidities lead to an increased risk of death from Covid-19, research shows

Comorbidities such as heart disease, respiratory disease, renal disease and cancer lead to an increased risk of death from Covid-19 according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).

1 Apr 2021

Lupus patients with lower vitamin D levels more likely to have metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance

Patients with lupus are more likely to have metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance - both factors linked to heart disease - if they have lower vitamin D levels, a new study reveals.

26 Mar 2021

Soluble ACE2 level correlates with COVID-19 outcomes

Researchers at the Aarhus University, Denmark, found that high baseline levels of ACE2 in plasma from COVID-19 patients are tied to a worse outcome in hospitalized patients. The study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv, shows that measuring ACE2 levels in serum can help determine patients at a higher risk of developing severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

14 Mar 2021

Genetic variation associated with COVID-19 outcome

Host genetics play a role in disease progression and prognosis. A paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv by Dubé et al. (1st March 2021) identifies several alleles associated with the gene natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR3) that may impact disease severity.

3 Mar 2021

How SARS-CoV-2 proteins affect vascular functionality

The study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, can pinpoint and isolate how each of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins independently affects the endothelial response and directly gauge endothelial functionality.

3 Mar 2021

New paper discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19

A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19 and the types of research that are needed to better understand the link between smoking and COVID-19 risk.

1 Mar 2021

Polyphenols may provide protective effect against COVID-19 disease

In the study published in the journal Integrative Physiology, the researchers found that a high intake of polyphenols may have a protective effect on patients with COVID-19 and prevent disease progression.

22 Feb 2021

Researchers survey repurposed drugs that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro

A new study by researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, reports on the compounds of interest that were identified as having potential for the treatment of COVID-19, from a library of almost 2,000 compounds from the APExBIO DiscoveryProbe library.

3 Feb 2021

Zinc supplementation bolsters repurposed antivirals against SARS-CoV-2

A new preprint reports the efficacy of two repurposed drugs that could be useful against SARS-CoV-2 when supplemented with zinc.

2 Feb 2021

ACE2 agonist C21 relieves respiratory difficulty in COVID-19

A new study describes a pilot study on the efficacy of a molecule called C21, which enhances the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the host cell receptor that facilitates viral entry.

2 Feb 2021

Could spironolactone treat COVID-19-related pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis?

Researchers have described the potential of the drug spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic, and anti-androgen, in preventing or alleviating the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia, and in preventing pulmonary fibrosis.

27 Jan 2021

Potentially promising therapeutic combination for renal cell carcinoma uncovered

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common form of cancer of the kidney. In 2018, there were an estimated 403,000 new cases of RCC and 175,000 deaths due to kidney cancer worldwide.

20 Jan 2021

Two common blood pressure drugs are not tied to increased risk of COVID-19

Research published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Digital Health and co-led by a UCLA Fielding School of Public Health faculty member has found that two widely used types of blood pressure drugs are not tied to an increased risk of COVID-19 infection or complications.

18 Jan 2021

High-affinity SARS-CoV-2 RBD drives mutation spread, forms basis of new COVID-19 inhibitor

Now, an intriguing recent study appeared on the bioRxiv * preprint server describes the use of in vitro evolution to elicit affinity maturation of the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein to bind the host cell angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with greater affinity.

7 Jan 2021

ACE2 receptor is responsible for the wide host range of SARS-CoV-2

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is thought to have a zoonotic origin, perhaps originating in a bat coronavirus with an unknown intermediate host. It is not only very infectious but has been found to infect a wide range of mammals, including dogs, cats, ferrets, hamsters, and minks, besides non-human primates. This range may be still higher, claims a recent preprint that appeared in January 2021 on the bioRxiv server.

6 Jan 2021

New mathematical model proposes optimal treatment strategies for COVID-19

Getting control of COVID-19 will take more than widespread vaccination; it will also require a better understanding of why the disease causes no apparent symptoms in some people but leads to rapid multi-organ failure and death in others, as well as better insight into what treatments work best and for which patients.

5 Jan 2021

Stopping RAS inhibitors linked to risk of adverse outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease

Small studies have suggested that a group of medications called RAS inhibitors may be harmful in persons with advanced chronic kidney disease, and physicians therefore often stop the treatment in such patients.

29 Dec 2020

Prior use of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors linked to reduced risk of death in older COVID-19 patients with hypertension

A new study, appearing as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, demonstrates the protective effect of drugs in older COVID-19 patients with hypertension.

21 Dec 2020

Antihypertensive drugs may reduce COVID-19 mortality in at-risk patients

A new multicenter study that recently appeared on the medRxiv* preprint server in November 2020 has found a lower or equal risk of fatal COVID-19 in hypertensive patients, depending on the type of medication they are on.

26 Nov 2020