ABO Blood System and COVID-19 Susceptibility: Anti-A and Anti-B Antibodies Are the Key Points

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Álvaro Tamayo-Velasco¹  María Jesús Peñarrubia-Ponce¹  Francisco Javier Álvarez²  Ignacio de la Fuente¹  Sonia Pérez-González¹  David Andaluz-Ojeda⁵ 

[1] Haematology and Hemotherapy Service, University Clinical Hospital;BioCritic. Group for Biomedical Research in Critical Care Medicine;Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas ,(CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III;Pharmacological Big Data Laboratory, Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid;Intensive Care Service, Hospital Universitario Sanchinarro, HM Hospitales

关键词: ABO blood group;    COVID-19;    anti-A antibody;    SARS-CoV-2 spike protein;    ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2);   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2022.882477

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The implication of the ABO blood group in COVID-19 disease was formulated early, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic more than 2 years ago. It has now been established that the A blood group is associated with more susceptibility and severe symptoms of COVID-19, while the O blood group shows protection against viral infection. In this review, we summarize the underlying pathophysiology of ABO blood groups and COVID-19 to explain the molecular aspects behind the protective mechanism in the O blood group. A or B antigens are not associated with a different risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection than that of other antigens. In this case, the cornerstone is natural anti-A and anti-B antibodies from the ABO system. They are capable of interfering with the S protein (SARS-CoV-2) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2; host cell receptor), thereby conferring protection to patients with sufficient antibodies (O blood group). Indeed, the titers of natural antibodies and the IgG isotype (specific to the O blood group) may be determinants of susceptibility and severity. Moreover, older adults are associated with a higher risk of bad outcomes due to the lack of antibodies and the upregulation of ACE2 expression during senescence. A better understanding of the role of the molecular mechanism of ABO blood groups in COVID-19 facilitates better prognostic stratification of the disease. Furthermore, it could represent an opportunity for new therapeutic strategies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY