ACE2 and acute respiratory distress syndrome: Possible correlation between specific genes and the incidence of ALI/ARDS was unclear, except that the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), actively expressed in alveolar epithelial and endothelial cells, is responsible for adjusting alveolar permeability and repairing lung injury and was also identified as the viral entry receptor for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (30, 31).