Abstract
Detected in December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has since spread all over the world, resulting in a global pandemic. The disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and its symptoms usually include cough, fever, and gastrointestinal problems. Although the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is about 1 % of the global population and RA patients naturally have a chance of acquiring COVID-19 in this pandemic, no studies have considered the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) (a receptor for SARS-CoV-2) in synovial tissues. Our presenting data revealed that ACE2 expression was elevated in active rheumatoid synovium, and siRNA against STAT3 was able to downregulate ACE2 expression, which was in turn induced by IL-6 signaling.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Ethics and Consent: This study was approved by the clinical ethics committees of Hiroshima University Hospital, Dohgo Spa Hospital and Ehime University Proteo-Science Center and Graduate School of Medicine and was conducted at these institutions (approval number: E-668; approval date: 01/02/2017). All experiments were performed in accordance with the approved guidelines. Synovial tissues were collected from 16 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients that fulfilled the classification criteria of the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (Arthritis and Rheum. 1988; 31: 315–324) and underwent total joint replacement, after obtaining informed and signed consent forms.
Conflict of Interest: None.