Increased TMPRSS2 Expression in Tongue Tissue of Females and Alcohol Drinkers
A Potential Risk Factor for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Identified as Increased TMPRSS2 Expression in Tongue Tissue of Females and Alcohol Drinkers In the present study, the researchers used immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry techniques to determine ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 expression in the human and murine tongue tissue. Tongue, submandibular glands , and kidneys were acquired from euthanized five-week-old male mice. Half the tissues were fixed in phosphate-buffered formalin for immunohistochemical and histological analysis, while the other half was frozen at -80 °C for the immunoblot assay. With informed consent, human tongue samples were acquired from patients with primary tongue cancer who underwent surgery. The non-tumorous regions of the tongue were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin for the immunohistochemical tests . Three fresh human tongue samples were used for the immunoblot analysis. Paraffin-fixed tissues were sectioned and mounted on glass slides. Immunost...