Androgen Drives the Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Entry Proteins in Sinonasal Tissue

Background and objectivesMen have higher morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 than women, possibly due to androgen receptor-regulated viral entry protein expression. This led to a clinical trial of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which has not shown a significant benefit in the outcomes among hospitalized male COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to explore biological explanations for the failure of ADT to mitigate clinical outcomes in men with severe COVID-19 by assessing the role of androgen in regulating viral entry protein expression in the upper and lower respiratory tract.