Hypoxic preconditioning — A nonpharmacological approach in COVID-19 prevention

Hypoxia is defined by low oxygen concentration in organs, tissues, and cells. Maintaining oxygen homeostasis represents the essential cellular metabolic process for the structural integrity of tissues in different pathological conditions, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Considering the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 as the regulator of cellular response to hypoxia and its involvement in angiogenesis, erythropoiesis, glucose metabolism, inflammation, we propose hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) as a novel prevention therapeutic approach on healthy contacts of patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). To date, several studies revealed the beneficial effects of HPC in ischemia, kidney failure, and in pulmonary function recovery of patients who underwent lung surgery. HPC increases the expression of factors that promote cell survival and angiogenesis, induces an anti-inflammatory outcome, triggers coordinated hypoxia responses that promote erythropoiesis, and mobilizes the circulating progenitor cells. Furthermore, the mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) exposed to HPC show improvement of their regenerative capacities and increases the effectiveness of stem cell therapy in different pathologies, including COVID-19. In conclusion, HPC should be considered as an approach with beneficial outcomes and without significant side effects when the organism is severely exposed to the same stressor. HPC appears as a trigger to mechanisms that improve and maintain tissue oxygenation and repair, a main goal in different pathologies, including COVID-19 or other respiratory conditions.