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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter October 21, 2021

The probable mechanism of reduced androgen level in COVID-19 patients

  • Mohammad Rafi Khezri EMAIL logo , Morteza Ghasemnejad-Berenji ORCID logo EMAIL logo and Negin Mahboubi

Abstract

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has challenged the health care systems of the world. Although the pulmonary complications of the infection have received extensive attention, addressing the other complications (e.g., changes in androgen levels) could further provide a more efficient understanding of the disease, which might aid in combating it. Since the association between androgens and the expression and activity of SARS-CoV-2 receptors has been proven and anti-androgen-based therapies have been considered in this regard, addressing various aspects of androgen level changes can be constructive. The present paper examines the possible mechanisms of changes in androgen levels by the virus. It seems that the infection of the gonads by the SARS-CoV-2 could reduce the androgen levels by affecting different cellular pathways.


Corresponding author: Mohammad Rafi Khezri, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Sero Road, Postal Code: 5715799313, Urmia, Iran, Fax: +984432754990, E-mail: ; and Dr. Morteza Ghasemnejad-Berenji, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran; and Research Center for Experimental and Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: No funding.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. Mohammad rafi khezri: conception, writing the manuscript and drawing the figure; Morteza Ghasemnejad-Berenji: editing and revising he manuscript. Negin Mahboubi: writing the manuscript.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  5. Ethical approval: Not applicable.

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Received: 2021-06-14
Accepted: 2021-10-02
Published Online: 2021-10-21

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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