Thread by @DrSubhasree

IMPORTANT: New 'Bradykinin' theory in #COVID19 and target-based therapeutic intervention.

According to the latest research, Bradykinin might be responsible for major symptoms in COVID like cough, sneeze, stuffy nose, leaky blood vessels, etc.

1. Using a supercomputer, Dr. Jacobson and the team first discovered very distinct patterns in the data from the patients' bradykinin systems. Unlike cytokine, bradykinins handle infection via inflammation & generate typical symptoms of influenza & cold.
the-scientist.com/news-opinion/i…

2. Bradykinin inflammatory pathway in COVID-19:

COVID-19 patients' lungs include an abundance of enzymes that trigger the production of bradykinins & unexpectedly few enzymes can break it down. This causes bradykinin storm, allowing for fluid to build up around the lungs.

3. RAS-bradykinin imbalance can explain heart symptoms in COVID-19, including arrhythmias & low blood pressure. Moreover, high doses of bradykinin could alter the protection offered by the blood-brain barrier, allowing some toxins to make their way to the brain. (1/2)

This could explain the neurological symptoms that appear in some COVID-19 cases. The dermatologic phenomenon described as COVID toe may also be attributed to the compound’s ability to increase vascular permeability. The substance could have an effect on the thyroid gland. (2/2)

Video by @drbeen_medical explains the bradykinin storm in COVID 19.

4. Targeting the bradykinin pathway in COVID:

If bradykinin storms are in fact responsible for some of the complications experienced by COVID-19 patients, then at least 10 existing drugs could be repurposed to treat those patients, Jacobson said. (1/2)

Currently, there are two approved drugs that target the kinin system: icatibant (a B2R blocker) and the monoclonal antibody lanadelumab, which inhibits plasma kallikrein (there are no drugs yet approved that inhibit tissue kallikrein). (2/2)