COVID-19 became a global pandemic in 2020. SARS-CoV-2, although of respiratory origin, can affect many other organ systems. Patients with severe COVID-19 have commonly reported acute kidney injury. Recent studies have reported decreased concentrations of megalin, a protein involved in vitamin D metabolism in the kidney, in patients with COVID-19. However, the relationship between megalin, vitamin D metabolism and kidney injury during COVID-19 is unclear. A study in Scientific Reports found that in K18-hACE2 mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the decrease in megalin expression seemed to alter the role of vitamin D in the kidney even though vitamin D levels remained unchanged in infected animals compared to control animals. SARS-CoV-2 infection increased tumor necrosis factor alpha levels, suggesting an abnormal vitamin D metabolism. These results show the importance of clarifying the local role of vitamin D in the kidney of COVID-19 patients to better treat COVID-19-related kidney pathogenesis.

Original reference: Kurosaki, Y. et al. Sci. Rep. 14, 24313 (2024)

COVID-19 在 2020 年成为全球大流行病。SARS-CoV-2 虽然起源于呼吸道，但会影响许多其他器官系统。重症 COVID-19 患者通常报告急性肾损伤。最近的研究报告称，COVID-19 患者的 megalin 浓度降低，Megalin 是一种参与肾脏维生素 D 代谢的蛋白质。然而，COVID-19 期间 megalin、维生素 D 代谢和肾损伤之间的关系尚不清楚。Scientific Reports 上的一项研究发现，在感染 SARS-CoV-2 的 K18-hACE2 小鼠中，megalin 表达的降低似乎改变了维生素 D 在肾脏中的作用，即使与对照动物相比，受感染动物的维生素 D 水平保持不变。SARS-CoV-2 感染增加了肿瘤坏死因子 α 水平，表明维生素 D 代谢异常。这些结果表明，阐明维生素 D 在 COVID-19 患者肾脏中的局部作用对于更好地治疗 COVID-19 相关肾脏发病机制的重要性。

原始参考资料：Kurosaki， Y. et al. Sci. Rep.14， 24313 （2024）