Evaluation of Angiotensin-converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) in COVID-19: A Systematic Review on All Types of Studies for Epidemiologic, Diagnostic, and Therapeutic Purposes

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of SARS-CoV for cell entry We aimed to check the association between ACE2 and COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) in a systematic review Two databases (PubMed/Medline and Scopus) and bioRxiv were checked for retrieving all types of studies in relation to ACE2 and COVID-19 until March 18, 2020 Forty-one studies were entered to the systematic review These studies included nineteen original, eight reviews, four letters to the editor, three research papers, one correspondence, one commentary, one mini review, two reports, one opinion, and one perspective In summary, the results showed that the ACE2 receptor for COVID-19 is similar to that of SARS-CoV However, its expression was different in various populations as well as in the two genders ACE2 may be used as a therapeutic target Patients who take ACE inhibitors may have benefit in severe disease outcomes Finally, pangolins and snakes and turtles may act as the potential intermediate hosts transmitting disease to humans © 2020 Houshang Nemati, Mazaher Ramezani, Farid Najafi, Babak Sayad, Mehri Nazeri, Masoud Sadeghi