PLoS Pathogens (Nov 2023)

COVID-19: A complex disease with a unique metabolic signature.

  • Veronica Ghini,
  • Walter Vieri,
  • Tommaso Celli,
  • Valentina Pecchioli,
  • Nunzia Boccia,
  • Tania Alonso-Vásquez,
  • Lorenzo Pelagatti,
  • Marco Fondi,
  • Claudio Luchinat,
  • Laura Bertini,
  • Vieri Vannucchi,
  • Giancarlo Landini,
  • Paola Turano

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011787
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 11
p. e1011787

Abstract

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Plasma of COVID-19 patients contains a strong metabolomic/lipoproteomic signature, revealed by the NMR analysis of a cohort of >500 patients sampled during various waves of COVID-19 infection, corresponding to the spread of different variants, and having different vaccination status. This composite signature highlights common traits of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The most dysregulated molecules display concentration trends that scale with disease severity and might serve as prognostic markers for fatal events. Metabolomics evidence is then used as input data for a sex-specific multi-organ metabolic model. This reconstruction provides a comprehensive view of the impact of COVID-19 on the entire human metabolism. The human (male and female) metabolic network is strongly impacted by the disease to an extent dictated by its severity. A marked metabolic reprogramming at the level of many organs indicates an increase in the generic energetic demand of the organism following infection. Sex-specific modulation of immune response is also suggested.