ACE2与新型冠状病毒肺炎及其所致的急性呼吸窘迫综合征

ACE2 and acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by 2019 novel coronavirus

2019新型冠状病毒(2019-nCoV),因2019年12月发生在中国武汉的不明原因肺炎病例而被发现,并于2020年1月12日被世界卫生组织(WHO)命名。2月11日WHO将2019-nCoV引发的疾病正式命名为2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)。最新研究表明血管紧张素转换酶2(ACE2)很可能为2019-nCoV感染细胞的介导受体,且ACE2在肺脏大多表达于Ⅱ型肺泡细胞,Ⅱ型肺泡细胞中ACE2的大量表达可能解释2019-nCoV感染后的急性呼吸窘迫综合征(ARDS)。目前完成的首例对新型冠状病毒肺炎死亡患者的病理解剖发现患者肺部表现为弥漫性肺泡损伤和肺透明膜形成,符合ARDS表现。

The 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV)was discovered in an unidentified viral pneumonia case in Wuhan,China in December 2019,and was named by the World Health Organization(WHO)on January 12,2020.The disease caused by 2019-nCoV was named corona virus disease 2019 by WHO on February 12,2020.Recent studies have shown that angiotensin converting enzyme 2(ACE2)is likely to be a mediating receptor of 2019-nCoV-infected cells,and ACE2 is mostly expressed in typeⅡalveolar cells in the human lung cells.The high expression of ACE2 in typeⅡalveolar cells may explain acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)after 2019-nCoV infection.The first completed pathologic dissection of a patient who died of 2019-nCoV-pneumonia revealed diffuse alveolar injury and lung transparent membrane formation,consistent with ARDS.