Figure 2.

Nrf2 downregulatory effect on ACE2 Receptors during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 infection). The diagram illustrates SARS-CoV-2 binding to its ACE2 receptors in the host cell through its attachment protein “spike” and concomitant TMPRSS2 activation, initiating the infection process. The figure also presents Nrf2 activation and subsequent decrease in ACE2 receptor expression, as described by Zhao et al., 2018 [62].