Tissue Integrity and COVID-19

Abstract

Tissue integrity depends on biological tissue stiffness. Tissue integrity can protect both against age-related diseases and against severity of COVID-19. The disruption of tight junctions and increase of tissue permeability with advancing age can be related with age-related diseases as well as with age-dependent COVID-19. Release of tightly bound water from collagen fibrils leads to the increase of extracellular matrix stiffness and to the associated with matrix stiffness increased tissue permeability. The link between arterial stiffness and oxidative stress has been reported and is expected to be studied in more detail in the future. Trehalose can be suggested for retardation of tightly bound water release and subsequent extracellular matrix crosslinking by advanced glycation end products. Increase in tissue permeability can be blocked by polyphenols that inhibit ICAM-1 expression and mitigate cytoskeleton reorganization. NF-κB activation as a result of increased stiffness and cytoskeleton reorganization can cause both cardiovascular pathologies and COVID-19. Increased cholesterol content in cell membrane leads to increased virus entry into cell and increase of cholesterol is linked with cardiovascular diseases. Statins and chitosan are known as cholesterol-lowering substances. Nrf2 inhibits NF-κB activation and NF-κB inhibits Nrf2 pathway.

Severe COVID-19—A Review of Suggested Mechanisms Based on the Role of Extracellular Matrix Stiffness

“…Dehydration also results in enhanced tissue stiffness and triggers NF-κB activation [ 11 ]. Hydration at biointerfaces prevents platelet adhesion and thrombus formation [ 3 ].…”

“…It was also observed that atherosclerosis, diabetes, and obesity are associated with the stiffening of blood vessel walls and the recruitment of inflammatory leukocytes out of the bloodstream into tissues. It has been demonstrated that the decrease of water molecules binding energy with biological macromolecules leads to the release of tightly bound water and the increase of ECM stiffness with the disruption of tissue integrity [ 3 ].…”

“…Inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and interleukins (ILs) (IL-6 and IL-8) increase platelet reactivity and the activation of leukocytes leading to a pro-thrombotic state [ 22 ]. Tissue integrity plays important role in COVID-19 [ 3 ]. Increase in tissue permeability as a result of ECM stiffening increases the incidence and severity of COVID-19.…”

“…The high expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) by endothelial cells in COVID-19 patients was reported [ 2 ]. It has been found that severity of the disease increases with aging and demonstrated [ 3 ] that increased adhesion molecule ICAM-1 expression can increase virus entry in COVID-19 due to increased tissue permeability, and at the same time, increased adhesion molecule ICAM-1 expression can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases due to tight junction integrity disruption and the increased transmigration of neutrophils [ 2 ], Figure 1 . Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and ICAM-1 adhesion molecule have been recently reported as circulating markers of arterial stiffness [ 4 ].…”

Nanotechnology and COVID-19: Prevention, diagnosis, vaccine, and treatment strategies

“…In this ongoing COVID-19, TE has an important role in the application of the Bioscaffold matrix, the treatment of COVID-19 infection, the healthy functioning of the body and the examination of healing mechanisms. In the future, TE will play an important role in saving the life of a COVID-19 patient (Malavazos et al, 2020;Tatara, 2020;Bailey et al, 2021;Dorward et al, 2021;Kerch, 2021).…”