Comments of the reviewer to letter of Zahra Abpeikar, Roohollah Mohseni & Mohsen Safaei: ‘The multifunctional nano-immunoliposome design: hypothesis on a therapeutic approach for COVID-19’

Abstract

1. SARS-CoV-2 uses, among other things, the membrane-integrated ACE2 to enter the cell. Thus, ACE2 is a functional receptor for the virus. 2. Controlling or reducing the activity of this receptor (and of vimentin, a coreceptor) helps to influence the viral infection. 3. There is evidence that hypertension treatment with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) causes an increased expression of ACE2. This leads to the hypothesis that patients treated with ACE inhibitors or ARBs may have an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections or, in the case of infection, a worse prognosis. 4. The treatment of Vero E6 cells infected with the earlier SARS-CoV with IFNc and IL4 resulted in the down-regulation of ACE2. 5. The ACE2 inhibitor on the liposomes is needed to target the infected cells equipped with ACE2 receptors. 6. IFNc and IL4 should be used to neutralize the harmful increase in expression of ACE2 on the target cells caused by the ACE2 inhibitor on the liposomes.