Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35401548›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2022

ACE2 Serum Levels as Predictor of Infectability and Outcome in COVID-19.

María Del Carmen Maza, María Úbeda, Pilar Delgado, Lydia Horndler, Miguel A Llamas, Hisse M van Santen, Balbino Alarcón, David Abia, Laura García-Bermejo, Sergio Serrano-Villar and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Impact of air pollution on COVID-19 severity: a systematic review of underlying biological mechanisms.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. The Functions of SARS-CoV-2 Receptors in Diabetes-Related Severe COVID-19.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Blood ACE2 Protein Level Correlates with COVID-19 Severity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Article
  15. ACE2, ACE, DPPIV, PREP and CAT L enzymatic activities in COVID-19: imbalance of ACE2/ACE ratio and potential RAAS dysregulation in severe cases.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2023
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

María Del Carmen MazaCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
María ÚbedaCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Pilar DelgadoCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Lydia HorndlerCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Miguel A LlamasEMPIREO Diagnóstico Molecular Sociedad Limitada (SL), Madrid, Spain.
Hisse M van SantenCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Balbino AlarcónCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
David AbiaCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Laura García-BermejoHospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain.
Sergio Serrano-VillarHospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain.
Ugo BastollaCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Manuel FresnoCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa · ESUniversidad Autónoma de Madrid · ESConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · ESInstituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria · ESUniversidad de Alcalá · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 can generate a broad spectrum of severity and symptoms. Many studies analysed the determinants of severity but not among some types of symptoms. More importantly, very few studies analysed patients highly exposed to the virus that nonetheless remain uninfected. Methods: We analysed serum levels of ACE2, Angiotensin II and anti-Spike antibodies in 2 different cohorts at high risk of viral exposure, highly exposed but uninfected subjects, either high risk health care workers or persons cohabiting with infected close relatives and seropositive patients with symptoms. We tested the ability of the sera of these subjects to neutralize lentivirus pseudotyped with the Spike-protein. Results: We found that the serum levels of ACE2 are significantly higher in highly exposed but uninfected subjects. Moreover, sera from this seronegative persons can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 infection in cellular assays more strongly that sera from non-exposed negative controls eventhough they do not have anti-CoV-2 IgG antibodies suggesting that high levels of ACE2 in serum may somewhat protect against an active infection without generating a conventional antibody response. Finally, we show that among patients with symptoms, ACE2 levels were significantly higher in infected patients who developed cutaneous as compared with respiratory symptoms and ACE2 was also higher in those with milder symptoms. Conclusions: These findings suggest that soluble ACE2 could be used as a potential biomarker to predict SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and to discriminate COVID-19 disease subtypes.

Indexed as

COVID-19Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2Antibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralHumansSARS-CoV-2Spike Glycoprotein, CoronavirusACE2 protein, humanAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2Antibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralSpike Glycoprotein, Coronavirusspike protein, SARS-CoV-2ACE2antibodiesbiomarkerCOVID-19neutralization

Identifiers

PMID35401548
PMCPMC8986157
OpenAlexW4221063304

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.