Can GPR4 be a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19?

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

M. A. Marie (Creator)

J. D. McCallen (Creator)

S. Nik Akhtar (Creator)

K. A. Oppelt (Creator)

M. J. Thomassen (Creator)

L. V. Yang (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first emerged in late 2019 and has since rapidly become a global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infection causes damages to the lung and other organs. The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 range widely from asymptomatic infection, mild respiratory illness to severe pneumonia with respiratory failure and death. Autopsy studies demonstrate that diffuse alveolar damage, inflammatory cell infiltration, edema, proteinaceous exudates, and vascular thromboembolism in the lung as well as extrapulmonary injuries in other organs represent key pathological findings. Herein, we hypothesize that GPR4 plays an integral role in COVID-19 pathophysiology and is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of COVID-19. GPR4 is a pro-inflammatory G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) highly expressed in vascular endothelial cells and serves as a “gatekeeper” to regulate endothelium-blood cell interaction and leukocyte infiltration. GPR4 also regulates vascular permeability and tissue edema under inflammatory conditions. Therefore, we hypothesize that GPR4 antagonism can potentially be exploited to mitigate the hyper-inflammatory response, vessel hyper-permeability, pulmonary edema, exudate formation, vascular thromboembolism and tissue injury associated with COVID-19.

Additional Information

Publication

Other

Yang LV, Oppelt KA, Thomassen MJ, Marie MA, Nik Akhtar S and McCallen JD (2021) Can GPR4 Be a Potential Therapeutic Target for COVID-19? Front. Med. 7:626796. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2020.626796

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

COVID-19;GPR4;inflammation;endothelial cell;vascular permeability;thromboembolism

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