TLDR Androgens and a high-fat diet may increase the risk of severe COVID-19 in women with PCOS by upregulating certain proteins in the heart and kidneys.
The document investigates the impact of androgens and diet on the regulation of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry proteins in cardiac and renal tissues, with implications for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and COVID-19. The study used a preclinical animal model of PCOS and found that androgens and a high-fat diet (HFD) upregulated cardiac and renal SARS-CoV-2 viral entry proteins. The kidney showed the most significant upregulation of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and multiple cellular proteases involved in viral entry. The study suggests that women with PCOS with hyperandrogenism may be at a higher risk of worsened cardiac and renal outcomes when suffering from COVID-19. The findings also indicate that weight loss in PCOS could have a protective effect on COVID-19-associated outcomes. The study highlights the need for effective, selective, and safe androgen receptor blockers to mitigate not only metabolic and cardiovascular symptoms in women with PCOS but also possible COVID-19-associated outcomes.
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