Age-related mitochondrial dysfunction as a key factor in COVID-19 disease

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 causes a severe pneumonia (COVID-19) that affects essentially elderly people. In COVID-19, macrophage infiltration into the lung causes a rapid and intense cytokine storm leading finally to a multi-organ failure and death. Comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, lung and cardiovascular diseases, all of them age-associated diseases, increase the severity and lethality of COVID-19. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the hallmarks of aging and COVID-19 risk factors. Dysfunctional mitochondria is associated with defective immunological response to viral infections and chronic inflammation. This review discuss how mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with defective immune response in aging and different age-related diseases, and with many of the comorbidities associated with poor prognosis in the progression of COVID-19. We suggest here that chronic inflammation caused by mitochondrial dysfunction is responsible of the explosive release of inflammatory cytokines causing severe pneumonia, multi-organ failure and finally death in COVID-19 patients. Preventive treatments based on therapies improving mitochondrial turnover, dynamics and activity would be essential to protect against COVID-19 severity.

Global health disparities in vulnerable populations of psychiatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…It is posited that mitochondrial stress can eventually widen the health disparity since many vulnerable populations live in urban environments affected by toxic metal pollution[ 17 ]. Overcrowded housing, inadequate nutrition, socioeconomic stressors, age, and metabolic syndrome can further potentiate the effect of mitochondrial stress in vulnerable populations affected by COVID-19 illness[ 17 , 18 ].…”

The central role of mitochondrial fitness on antiviral defenses: An advocacy for physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Mitochondria thus regulate a number of factors – beside cellular energy provision – that are important not only for cardiorespiratory fitness but also for the anti-viral host defense 51 52 . Despite the recent emergence of hypotheses suggesting a protective role of mitochondrial fitness 13 53 or mitochondrial dysfunction as a risk factor 54 , potential drug target 55 and key factor in the pathogenesis in COVID-19 56 57 , no experimental evidence is available yet supporting these notions.…”

COVID-19: A Mitochondrial Perspective

“…Although due to coordinated efforts of the scientific community worldwide, we have made unprecedented progress in understanding the pathogenesis of COVID-19, a lot more needs to be learned. Mitochondrial dysfunction in COVID-19 is an emerging and interesting topic (Burtscher et al, 2020;Gibellini et al, 2020;Moreno Fernández-Ayala et al, 2020;Nunn et al, 2020;Shenoy, 2020;Singh et al, 2020). A better understanding of the role of mitochondria in COVID-19 may provide answers to the key perplexing questions.…”