Potential Value of Circulating Endothelial Cells for the Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 | Chapter 2 | Diagnostic and Treatment Advances in COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2

 The ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been a formidable global challenge. As yet, there are very few drugs to treat this infection and no vaccine is currently available. It has gradually become apparant that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not a simple disease involving a single organ; rather, many vital organs and systems are affected. The endothelium is one target of SARS-CoV-2. Damaged endothelial cells, which break away from organs and enter the bloodstream to form circulating endothelial cells, were recently reported as putative biomarkers for COVID-19. Modulation of the expression level of sphingosine-1 phosphate via sphingosine kinase activation can control endothelial cell proliferation and apoptosis. As such, it may be possible to obtain a sensitive and specific diagnosis of the severity of COVID-19 by assessing the absolute number and the viable/apoptotic ratio of circulating endothelial cells. Furthermore, a focus on the endothelium could help to develop a strategy for COVID-19 treatment from the perspective of endothelial protection and repair.

Author(s) Details:

Xuchang Zhang,
Third Affiliated Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China and Department of Oncology, Longgang District People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China.

Man Jiang,
Third Affiliated Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China and Department of Oncology, Longgang District People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China.

Jianshe Yang,
Third Affiliated Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China and Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/DTACSC/article/view/9552