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Una ricerca sugli effetti dei recettori nicotinici per

l’acetilcolina su infiammazione e neuropatologie
associate al Covid

Effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on inflammation and neuropathologies associated with
Covid-19

Prof. Zoli, Professor of Physiology at Unimore, is principal investigator of a major project concerning the
effects and multi-systemic complications caused by SARS-cov-2. In fact, it is known that this and other vi-
ruses can infect the central nervous system or induce a reaction that alters its function, and hence chronic,
even neurodegenerative, disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are the
main mediators of the effects of nicotine on the body, and extensive literature shows how the activation of
some of these reduces inflammatory responses. Epidemiological data on the possible protective effect of
smoking on COVID-19, combined with evidence of the anti-inflammatory potential of nicotinic agents and
the protective effects of nicotine against certain viral infections make it plausible for nAChR to be involved in
countering the deleterious effects of SARS-cov 2 infection. These studies will soon have a significant scien-
tific, health and therefore socio-economic impact, and it will be possible to start with the administration of
nicotine with patches immediately usable on a large scale, even in developing countries where vaccination
and complex therapies are difficult to apply.

l coronavirus della sindrome respira- fettare il sistema nervoso centrale (SNC), o

toria acuta grave 2 (SARS-CoV-2) è indurre una reazione immunitaria/infiammatoria in
alla base della malattia da Coronavirus grado di alterarne la funzionalità.
2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19, oltre al La neuroinfezione e la neuroinfiammazione pos-
Icoinvolgimento del sistema respiratorio, sono essere all’origine di disturbi cronici del SNC,
comprende una serie di sintomi e complicanze anche neurodegenerativi. Ad esempio, alcuni mi-
multi-sistemiche. Tra quelle sensoriali e neurolo- crorganismi favoriscono la deposizione di beta-a-
giche, i deficit dell’olfatto e del gusto, l’ictus ische- miloide (Abeta) in modelli murini, e l’herpesvirus
mico, multinevriti, encefalopatie ed encefaliti sono 6 sembra coinvolto nella patogenesi della malat-
le più comuni manifestazioni acute, suggerendo tia di Alzheimer (AD); inoltre, molteplici evidenze

che SARS-CoV-2, come altri virus, possa in-

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