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Certain categories of drugs commonly used in the treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases do not make COVID-19 serious. Scientists have claimed this based on the results obtained after trying these drugs on mice, the results of which were published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Earlier studies had stated that ACE inhibitors and ARB (angiotensin receptor blockers) drugs used in problems related to hypertension and heart disease could worsen the symptoms of COVID-19 in patients.
Based on the results of their research, a team of researchers from the Northwestern University, along with other scientists have stated that there was a fear that ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARB-based drugs may lead to an increase in the receptor proteins, also known as ACE2, which the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to enter human cells.
Read more: After ACE2, NRP1 emerges as another pathway for COVID-19 in human body
After the use of ACE and ARB drugs on rat kidney membranes, researchers found that the drugs made from these inhibitors do not actually increase the severity of COVID-19, but decreased the kidney function in mice and caused no change in the membranes of the lungs.
Read more: Why does coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 affect the lungs?
The scientists claim that these drugs actually block small proteins that cause the kidney's blood vessels to become compressed, which leads to fluid retention and a subsequent rise in blood pressure occurs. According to the latest research, ACE and ARB drugs relax the blood vessels and decrease fluid retention, which lowers blood pressure in the body.
The scientists arrived at this conclusion after using common ACE and ARB drugs called captopril and telmisartan on mice. Both of these drugs are highly prescribed in the case of hypertension or heart disease.
