EFFECT OF CIRCULATING EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES FROM POST-COVID-19 PATIENTS ON ENDOTHELIAL CELLS IN VITRO.

Studies have demonstrated that from 40 to 80% of COVID-19 recovered patients presented cardiovascular injuries that could persist until 12 months after the diagnosis. Between some of the risk factors for the severity of COVID-19, there is malnutrition, which is also a consequence of the pandemic outbreak. Extracellular vesicles (EV) carry bioactive molecules which may elicit vascular responses such as endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Thus, it was hypothesized that EV could contribute to endothelial dysfunction in the setting of post-COVID-19