ArticleMedical hypotheses2021
Alveolar epithelial cell type II as main target of SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 development via NF-Kb pathway deregulation: A physio-pathological theory.
Article in Medical hypotheses, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 79 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
79 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.
- VEGF-A in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analytical approach to its prognostic value.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Mucosal immune response in biology, disease prevention and treatment.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2025Pooled it
- The Gut-Lung Microbiome Axis in Alveolar Stem Cell Regeneration and Lung Repair.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Characterizing gene perturbations in single cells via network divergence analysis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Pulmonary fibrosis in post-COVID-19: epithelial-mesenchymal transition as a key mechanism and target for therapy.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- Single-Cell Insights Into Macrophage Subtypes in Pulmonary Infections.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Advanced nanotherapies for precision treatment of inflammatory lung diseases.Bioactive materials · 2025Review
- Unlocking the potential of remdesivir: innovative approaches to drug delivery.Drug delivery and translational research · 2025Review
- SARS-CoV-2 nsp15 enhances viral virulence by subverting host antiviral defenses.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Histopathological examination of lung from infant with lethal COVID-19 with special attention on pneumocytes type II and the immune infiltrate: a case study.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Flow mechanisms of the air-blood barrier.PLoS computational biology · 2025Article
- Differential modulation of SARS-CoV-2 infection by complement factor H and properdin.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- The innate immune response in SARS-CoV2 infection: focus on toll-like receptor 4 in severe disease outcomes.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Probability of early infection extinction depends linearly on the virus clearance rate.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- The Main Mechanisms of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Treatments against COVID-19.Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine · 2024Review
- The effect of antifibrotic agents on acute respiratory failure in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective cohort study from TriNetX US collaborative networks.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2024Article
- Review
- Article
- The Role of the Nuclear Factor-Kappa B (NF-κB) Pathway in SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Microfluidic strategies for biomimetic lung chip establishment and SARS-CoV2 study.Materials today. Bio · 2024Review
19 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requires a rapid solution and global collaborative efforts in order to define preventive and treatment strategies. One of the major challenges of this disease is the high number of patients needing advanced respiratory support due to the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) as the lung is the major - although not exclusive - target of the virus. The molecular mechanisms, pathogenic drivers and the target cell type(s) in SARS-CoV-2 infection are still poorly understood, but the development of a "hyperactive" immune response is proposed to play a role in the evolution of the disease and it is envisioned as a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Here we propose a theory by which the main targets for SARS-CoV-2 are the Type II Alveolar Epithelial Cells and the clinical manifestations of the syndrome are a direct consequence of their involvement. We propose the existence of a vicious cycle by which once alveolar damage starts in AEC II cells, the inflammatory state is supported by macrophage pro-inflammatory polarization (M1), cytokines release and by the activation of the NF-κB pathway. If this theory is confirmed, future therapeutic efforts can be directed to target Type 2 alveolar cells and the molecular pathogenic drivers associated with their dysfunction with currently available therapeutic strategies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.