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Review
. 2022 Oct 16;11(20):3231.
doi: 10.3390/foods11203231.

Cereals as a Source of Bioactive Compounds with Anti-Hypertensive Activity and Their Intake in Times of COVID-19

Abigail García-Castro  1 , Alma Delia Román-Gutiérrez  1 , Araceli Castañeda-Ovando  1 , Raquel Cariño-Cortés  2 , Otilio Arturo Acevedo-Sandoval  1 , Patricia López-Perea  3 , Fabiola Araceli Guzmán-Ortiz  4
Affiliations
Review

Cereals as a Source of Bioactive Compounds with Anti-Hypertensive Activity and Their Intake in Times of COVID-19

Abigail García-Castro et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Cereals have phytochemical compounds that can diminish the incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension. The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) participates in the modulation of blood pressure and is the principal receptor of the virus SARS-CoV-2. The inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and the block receptors of angiotensin II regulate the expression of ACE2; thus, they could be useful in the treatment of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The inferior peptides from 1 to 3 kDa and the hydrophobic amino acids are the best candidates to inhibit ACE, and these compounds are present in rice, corn, wheat, oats, sorghum, and barley. In addition, the vitamins C and E, phenolic acids, and flavonoids present in cereals show a reduction in the oxidative stress involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The influence of ACE on hypertension and COVID-19 has turned into a primary point of control and treatment from the nutritional perspective. The objective of this work was to describe the inhibitory effect of the angiotensin-converting enzyme that the bioactive compounds present in cereals possess in order to lower blood pressure and how their consumption could be associated with reducing the virulence of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; cereals; diet therapy; drug therapy; hypertension; phytochemicals.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflict of interest among authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 5 October 2022).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phenol binding to the ACE2 receptor and protein S blockade of SARS-CoV-2. Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 28 August 2022).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Peptide activity on SARS-CoV-2: (1) Inhibition of TMRPSS2 by bioactive peptides blocks priming of virus S proteins. (2) Inhibition of protein S by amino acid residues through hydrogen bonds prevents SARS-CoV-2 virus’ entry. Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 28 August 2022).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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