Figure 2.

Schematic representation of the mechanism related to SARS-CoV-2 and RAS. SARS-CoV-2 binds through the spike (S) protein to its membrane receptor ACE2 in the respiratory epithelial membrane, permitting S protein’s cleavage by membrane proteases and exposing the S2’ fusion membrane domain to enter the cell by endocytosis and initiate the replication of the virus. One of the important consequences is the diminution of soluble ACE2 availability, resulting in subsequence increase and decrease levels of circulation Ang II and Ang-(1-7), respectively, causing a RAS imbalance. ACE2: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; Ang-(1-7): angiotensin (1-7); EC: extracellular; IC: intracellular. Created with BioRender.