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Video: Severe COVID-19 May Be Associated With Von Willebrand Factor
Severe COVID-19 may be associated with von Willebrand factor
Anna Aksenova, senior researcher at the Amyloid Biology Laboratory at St. Petersburg State University, published an article in the journal Ecological Genetics, in which she suggested that viral replication promotes the development of microdamages in the walls of blood vessels, to which the body reacts by increasing von Willebrand factor.
Photo: CC0 Public Domain
Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is one of the main components of the blood coagulation system, so its dysfunction leads to various disorders, including thrombosis. It is with them that many deaths from coronavirus are associated. If earlier it was thought that SARS-Cov-2 affects mainly the lungs, attaching to the ACE2 receptors on the surface of cells, today researchers from all over the world have more and more convincing evidence that a similar process occurs with cells of the inner surface of blood vessels. In her article, Aksenova points out that the ACE2 receptor belongs to the renin-angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure, so the virus affects the vessels as well. At a minimum, it provokes inflammation of the walls of blood vessels and capillaries, which leads to an increased level of VWF and the formation of blood clots.
The scientist noted that the level and activity of von Willebrand factor in humans can differ under the influence of various factors, including racial, gender and age. So, in people of the Negroid race, it is higher than that of the representatives of the Caucasian race. EF is also higher in men than in women, in adults compared with children, and in the elderly. The relationship between VWF and blood group is also described - its level is lower in the owners of the first group (0), and higher in the second (A). The scientist suggested that acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with COVID-19 can be caused by VWF.
“There are studies that show, using the example of model animals and humans, the higher the EF, the higher the likelihood of respiratory distress. Why is this happening? Because the lungs are permeated with capillaries and if some thrombotic events occur there, then this negatively affects the function of the tissues. Excessive production of VWF can lead to the development of thrombosis, including in the capillaries of the lungs,”says Anna Aksenova.
According to the researcher, this hypothesis explains why the antimalarial drug chloroquine has shown some effectiveness in treating patients with COVID-19. This drug affects the process of autophagy in cells, which, among other things, regulates the secretion of von Willebrand factor.
To confirm the scientist's hypothesis, it is necessary to conduct a large-scale study in which the level and activity of von Willebrand factor will be studied in patients with different course of the disease. It is not yet known whether SPbU will initiate such a study.
