ACE2 and acute kidney injury: For example, when the conversion of Ang II into Ang (1–7) by ACE-2 becomes impaired by the viral infection, high levels of Ang II accumulate and are associated with persistent vasoconstriction, heart disease, apoptosis and oxidative processes that contribute to renal failure and accelerate the progression of the disease (Soler et al., 2013; Kai and Kai, 2020; Stasi et al., 2021).