in: COVID-19 Pandemisinde Tıbbi Biyokimyanın Artan Rolü, Yücel D., Editor, Türkiye Klinikleri Yayınevi, Ankara, pp.57-62, 2021
ABS TRACT Coronaviruses are viruses from the Coronaviridae family that cause diseases in birds and mammals. MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) can cause respiratory infections that can be fatal. COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. Angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) acts as a regulator of the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system in metabolism and also has an amino acid transport facilitating activity. ACE2 is expressed in many tissues, including intestines, kidneys, heart, lungs, testes and adipose tissue. ACE2 is the functional host receptor for SARS-CoV-2. Studies show that age, gender, genetic factors and comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, etc.) affect ACE2 expression in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Understanding the role of ACE2 in COVID-19 pathophysiology may be effective in determining its possible role in prevention and treatment protocols.