Neuropilin-1 may be responsible for retinal findings in patients with COVID-19

Morphological and electrophysiological changes of retina after different light damage in three patients: Three case reports

BACKGROUND

Light-induced retinal damage is a serious vision-threatening disease, resulting from unsuitable laser irradiation, high-power light and sustaining light exposure. Therefore, effectively evaluate the morphological and functional of retinal damage is urgently needed. Now, we mainly reported three patients suffered from typical light irradiations.

CASE SUMMARY

Patient 1 suffered from old laser pointer irradiation and followed with amblyopia treatment. Patient 2 suffered from acute high-energy light irradiation. Patient 3 suffered from sustaining optical fiber irradiation. Detailed morphological and functional examinations of the retina revealed that the lesions of the three patients had many similar characteristics, such as macular morphological changes, patent pattern visual monitoring amplitude or peak time abnormalities, multi-fucus electroretinograms macular central amplitude density decreased.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, light-induced retinopathy has many common features, which can help clinical medical staff to diagnose retinal photodamage diseases.

Al-buhadiliy A, De Waard M, Sabatier JM, Khan Khalil AA, Saad HM, Batiha GES. Role of Neuropilin 1 in COVID-19 Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can trigger the adaptive and innate immune responses, leading to uncontrolled inflammatory reactions and associated local and systematic tissue damage, along with thromboembolic disorders that may increase the risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in COVID-19 patients. The neuropilin (NRP-1) which is a co-receptor for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), integrins, and plexins, is involved in the pathogenesis of AIS. NRP-1 is also regarded as a co-receptor for the entry of SARS-CoV-2 and facilitates its entry into the brain through the olfactory epithelium. NRP-1 is regarded as a cofactor for binding of SARS-CoV-2 with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), since the absence of ACE2 reduces SARS-CoV-2 infectivity even in presence of NRP-1. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to clarify the potential role of NRP-1 in COVID-19 patients with AIS. SARS-CoV-2 may transmit to the brain through NRP-1 in the olfactory epithelium of the nasal cavity, leading to different neurological disorders, and therefore about 45% of COVID-19 patients had neurological manifestations. NRP-1 has the potential capability to attenuate neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, cerebral endothelial dysfunction (ED), and neuronal dysfunction that are uncommon in COVID-19 with neurological involvement, including AIS. Similarly, high NRP-1 serum level is linked with ED, oxidative stress, and the risk of pulmonary thrombosis in patients with severe COVID-19, suggesting a compensatory mechanism to overcome immuno-inflammatory disorders. In conclusion, NRP-1 has an important role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and AIS, and could be the potential biomarker linking the development of AIS in COVID-19. The present findings cannot provide a final conclusion, and thus in silico, experimental, in vitro, in vivo, preclinical, and clinical studies are recommended to confirm the potential role of NRP-1 in COVID-19, and to elucidate the pharmacological role of NRP-1 receptor agonists and antagonists in COVID-19.

The Role of Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), discovered in 2019, is responsible for the global coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The main protein that interacts with the host cell receptor is the Spike-1 (S1) subunit of the coronavirus. This subunit binds with receptors present on the host cell membrane. It has been identified from several studies that neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is one of the co-receptors for SARS-CoV-2 entry. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the significance of NRP-1 in SARS-CoV-2 infection. MEDLINE/PubMed database was used for a search of available literature. In the current review, we report that NRP-1 plays many important functions, including angiogenesis, neuronal development, and the regulation of immune responses. Additionally, the presence of this glycoprotein on the host cell membrane significantly augments the infection and spread of SARS-CoV-2. Literature data suggest that NRP-1 facilitates entry of the virus into the central nervous system through the olfactory epithelium of the nasal cavity. Moreover, published findings show that interfering with VEGF-A/NRP-1 using NRP-1 inhibitors may produce an analgesic effect. The review describes an association between NRP-1, SARS-CoV-2 and, inter alia, pathological changes in the retina. Based on the published findings, we suggest that NRP-1 is a very important mediator implicated in, inter alia, neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, it appears that the use of NRP-1 inhibitors is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.