ACE2 and COVID-19: Notably, since ATs express ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 replication is favored by the presence of lipid droplets, the hypothesis that ATs may constitute major reservoirs for viral shedding/spread and potentiators of local and systemic inflammation, has emerged as a possible explanation for the severe forms of COVID-19 in obese and aged individuals as well as for the enduring post-infection symptoms collectively termed long COVID.