ArticleDrug development research2022
Estradiol reduces ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA levels in A549 human lung epithelial cells.
Article in Drug development research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transdermal 17β-Estradiol for the Treatment of COVID-19: Protocol of an Early Terminated Phase 2 Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Repercussion of SARS-CoV-2 on the Sexual Function in Males: An Updated Review.Infectious disorders drug targets · 2025Review
- A comparative analysis of estrogen receptors, ACE2 and cytokines in pre-and postmenopausal women and men with COVID-19.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2 N protein-induced Dicer, XPO5, SRSF3, and hnRNPA3 downregulation causes pneumonia.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Review
- Clinical characteristics and severity markers in hospitalized COVID-19 patients from western Mexico: a comparative analysis of Delta and Omicron variants.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Article
- Review
- Effects of Biological Sex and Pregnancy on SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis and Vaccine Outcomes.Current topics in microbiology and immunology · 2023Article
- Vitamin D and estrogen steroid hormones and their immunogenetic roles in Infectious respiratory (TB and COVID-19) diseases.Genetics and molecular biology · 2023Article
- Innate and adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and predisposing factors.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Pregnancy-induced differential expression of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza a viral entry factors in the lower respiratory tract.PloS one · 2023Article
- Small molecules in the treatment of COVID-19.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2022Review
- Estradiol reduces ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA levels in A549 human lung epithelial cells.Drug development research · 2022Article
- Examining Male Predominance of Severe COVID-19 Outcomes: A Systematic Review.Androgens: clinical research and therapeutics · 2022Review
- Sex hormones and immune system: Menopausal hormone therapy in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- Biofunctional roles of estrogen in coronavirus disease 2019: Beyond a steroid hormone.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Epidemiologic studies suggest slightly higher risk of severe Covid-19 symptoms and fatalities following SARS-CoV-2 infection in men compared with women from similar age groups. This bias was suggested to reflect differences in the male and female immune system regulation, driven by different sex hormone levels in men and women, in particular, higher plasma estradiol in women. SARS-CoV-2 infects respiratory tract epithelial cells by binding to their cell membrane ACE2, followed by priming for cell entry by the host cell membrane serine protease TMPRSS2. The cell protease FURIN facilitates cell exit of mature SARS-CoV-2 virions. Our study examined the effects of in vitro treatment of A549 human lung epithelial cells with 17-β-estradiol on mRNA expression of genes coding for these proteins. Treatment of A549 human lung epithelial cells with 17-β-estradiol reduced the cellular mRNA levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA, while not affecting FURIN expression. Our findings suggest that 17-β-estradiol may reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection of lung epithelial cells, which may in part explain the reduced incidence of severe Covid-19 and fatalities among women compared with men of similar age. Studies into the molecular pathways by which 17-β-estradiol reduces ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA expression in lung epithelial cells are needed for assessing its potential protective value against severe Covid-19.
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Registered trials
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