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Special Issue "Focus on Antioxidants and COVID-19"

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Institute of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: oxidative stress; polymorphisms; glutathione transferases; urogenital cancers

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Dear Colleagues,

It is well established that oxidative stress plays an important role in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Indeed, significant alterations in redox homeostasis, due to altered antioxidant capacity, have been shown to contribute to the vicious cycle of inflammation and oxidative stress in COVID-19. Furthermore, oxidative stress and the impaired expression of antioxidant enzymes, as well as cytoprotective proteins under the control of the antioxidative response element in the DNA, have been suggested as the molecular basis of long-COVID. Since antioxidants have the ability to counteract the action of oxidants by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and by inhibiting oxidant-generating enzymes, various antioxidants have been proposed as “anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents”. However, further studies are needed to clarify the role of antioxidants as potential therapeutic strategies for both the prevention and treatment of acute COVID-19, as well as long-COVID.

Prof. Dr. Marija S. Plješa-Ercegovac
Guest Editor

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Keywords

antioxidants
COVID-19
oxidative stress
antioxidant capacity
long-COVID
vitamins

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Improving Soluble Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Priming Protease TMPRSS2 with an Artificial Fusing Protein

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 10475; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241310475 - 22 Jun 2023

Viewed by 740

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 relies on the recognition of the spike protein by the host cell receptor ACE2 for cellular entry. In this process, transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) plays a pivotal role, as it acts as the principal priming agent catalyzing spike protein cleavage to initiate the fusion of the cell membrane with the virus. Thus, TMPRSS2 is an ideal pharmacological target for COVID-19 therapy development, and the effective production of high–quality TMPRSS2 protein is essential for basic and pharmacological research. Unfortunately, as a mammalian–originated protein, TMPRSS2 could not be solubly expressed in the prokaryotic system. In this study, we applied different protein engineering methods and found that an artificial protein XXA derived from an antifreeze protein can effectively promote the proper folding of TMPRSS2, leading to a significant improvement in the yield of its soluble form. Our study also showed that the fused XXA protein did not influence the enzymatic catalytic activity; instead, it greatly enhanced TMPRSS2′s thermostability. Therefore, our strategy for increasing TMPRSS2 expression would be beneficial for the large–scale production of this stable enzyme, which would accelerate aniti–SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Focus on Antioxidants and COVID-19)

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Open AccessArticle

Antioxidant Genetic Variants Modify Echocardiography Indices in Long COVID

Marija Pljesa-Ercegovac

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 10234; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210234 - 16 Jun 2023

Viewed by 774

Abstract

Although disturbance of redox homeostasis might be responsible for COVID-19 cardiac complications, this molecular mechanism has not been addressed yet. We have proposed modifying the effects of antioxidant proteins polymorphisms (superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, (Nrf2)) in individual susceptibility towards the development of cardiac manifestations of long COVID-19. The presence of subclinical cardiac dysfunction was assessed via echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in 174 convalescent COVID-19 patients. SOD2, GPX1, GPX3 and Nrf2 polymorphisms were determined via the appropriate PCR methods. No significant association of the investigated polymorphisms with the risk of arrhythmia development was found. However, the carriers of variant GPX1*T, GPX3*C or Nrf2*A alleles were more than twice less prone for dyspnea development in comparison with the carriers of the referent ones. These findings were even more potentiated in the carriers of any two variant alleles of these genes (OR = 0.273, and p = 0.016). The variant GPX alleles were significantly associated with left atrial and right ventricular echocardiographic parameters, specifically LAVI, RFAC and RV-EF (p = 0.025, p = 0.009, and p = 0.007, respectively). Based on the relation between the variant SOD2*T allele and higher levels of LV echocardiographic parameters, EDD, LVMI and GLS, as well as troponin T (p = 0.038), it can be proposed that recovered COVID-19 patients, who are the carriers of this genetic variant, might have subtle left ventricular systolic dysfunction. No significant association between the investigated polymorphisms and cardiac disfunction was observed when cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed. Our results on the association between antioxidant genetic variants and long COVID cardiological manifestations highlight the involvement of genetic propensity in both acute and long COVID clinical manifestations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Focus on Antioxidants and COVID-19)

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Special Issue "Focus on Antioxidants and COVID-19"

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