The Faculty of Pharmacy discussed the master’s thesis entitled “Serum Soluble ACE2 Receptor level and its Potential association with Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System in Iraqi non-hypertensive COVID 19 Patients” by Mohammed Ahmed Torki and his supervisor, Ass. Prof. Dr. Ali Abdulhussain Kasim in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.The study aimed to investigate the potential association of serum levels of sACE2 and RAAS components in severe COVID-19 patients as well as angiopoietin 1 compared to healthy individuals. Eighty-five participants enrolled in the study were grouped into 45 non-hypertensive severe COVID-19 patients and 40 healthy individuals with comparable age and gender. Serum levels of sACE2, renin, angiotensin 2, angiopoietin 1 and aldosterone by ELISA, and serum potassium level was measured by turbidimetric method.The results revealed a significant difference in the serum levels of sACE2 and angiopoietin 1 (lower), renin, angiotensin 2, and aldosterone (higher) in COVID-19 patients compared to the control subjects (p-value <0.001; for all. There was also a weak significant positive correlation between sACE2 and angiotensin 2, and a moderate negative correlation between angiopoietin 1 and renin.The study concluded that non-hypertensive severe COVID-19 patients have lower sACE2 and angiopoietin 1 and a higher RAAS peptide levels, and they can serve as diagnostic markers of severe COVID-19 patients.
