Investigation of the Structure of COVID-19 and its Pathogenesis Pathway in the Host: A Review Study

Coronaviruses have four genera, including alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. The novel coronavirus, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a beta coronavirus type. This is not the first virus that involved the world and viruses have caused serious epidemics and pandemics throughout history. This review study investigated the structure of the COVID-19 virus, host receptors, function of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the human body, immune system response against the virus, and treatment methods.

The present narrative review study used the articles indexed in the international databases, namely Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and PLOS One, and domestic databases, including SID and Magiran, up to 2020. After reviewing the abstracts of 160 articles, similar and unrelated items were discarded. Finally, 52 papers were reviewed in this study.

The obtained results showed that the high tendency of the COVID-19 virus for binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) increased the risk of disease and its transmission. In addition, decreased ACE2 reduced the risk of viral infection; nevertheless, its presence also protected lung cells from damage caused by the virus through the production of angiotensin I-VII.

The formation of bilayer vesicles by coronaviruses prevents the expression of ribonucleic acid (RNA)-recognizing receptors in the host. Because the human body fights viral RNA after its detection and the COVID-19 virus is a packet-type virus, the destruction of the virus pack may be a solution for its eradication. However, for the treatment of the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus, it is necessary to have a thorough perception of the structure and function of the virus in order to find an effective method.