A Pilot Study on Oxidative Stress during the Recovery Phase in Critical COVID-19 Patients in a Rehabilitation Facility: Potential Utility of the PAOT<sup>®</sup> Technology for Assessing Total Anti-Oxidative Capacity
Joël Pincemail,
Anne-Françoise Rousseau,
Jean-François Kaux,
Jean-Paul Cheramy-Bien,
Christine Bruyère,
Jeanine Prick,
David Stern,
Mouna-Messaouda Kaci,
Benoît Maertens De Noordhout,
Adelin Albert,
Céline Eubelen,
Caroline Le Goff,
Benoît Misset,
Etienne Cavalier,
Corinne Charlier,
Smail Meziane
Affiliations
Joël Pincemail
Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Anne-Françoise Rousseau
Intensive Care Department, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Jean-François Kaux
Physical Medicine Rehabilitation and Sports Traumatology Department Sports, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Jean-Paul Cheramy-Bien
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Christine Bruyère
Physical Medicine Rehabilitation and Sports Traumatology Department Sports, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Jeanine Prick
Physical Medicine Rehabilitation and Sports Traumatology Department Sports, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
David Stern
Veterinary Medicine Faculty, FARAH, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Mouna-Messaouda Kaci
Research Department, Institut Européen des Antioxydants (IEA), Oxystress Technologies PAOTScan, 54500 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
Benoît Maertens De Noordhout
Physical Medicine Rehabilitation and Sports Traumatology Department Sports, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Adelin Albert
Biostatistics Department, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Céline Eubelen
Physical Medicine Rehabilitation and Sports Traumatology Department Sports, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Caroline Le Goff
Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Benoît Misset
Intensive Care Department, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Etienne Cavalier
Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Corinne Charlier
Toxicology Department, University Hospital of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Smail Meziane
Research Department, Institut Européen des Antioxydants (IEA), Oxystress Technologies PAOTScan, 54500 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
Background: Oxidative stress (OS) could cause various COVID-19 complications. Recently, we have developed the Pouvoir AntiOxydant Total (PAOT®) technology for reflecting the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of biological samples. We aimed to investigate systemic oxidative stress status (OSS) and to evaluate the utility of PAOT® for assessing TAC during the recovery phase in critical COVID-19 patients in a rehabilitation facility. Materials and Methods: In a total of 12 critical COVID-19 patients in rehabilitation, 19 plasma OSS biomarkers were measured: antioxidants, TAC, trace elements, oxidative damage to lipids, and inflammatory biomarkers. TAC level was measured in plasma, saliva, skin, and urine, using PAOT and expressed as PAOT-Plasma, -Saliva, -Skin, and -Urine scores, respectively. Plasma OSS biomarker levels were compared with levels from previous studies on hospitalized COVID-19 patients and with the reference population. Correlations between four PAOT scores and plasma OSS biomarker levels were analyzed. Results: During the recovery phase, plasma levels in antioxidants (γ-tocopherol, β-carotene, total glutathione, vitamin C and thiol proteins) were significantly lower than reference intervals, whereas total hydroperoxides and myeloperoxidase (a marker of inflammation) were significantly higher. Copper negatively correlated with total hydroperoxides (r = 0.95, p = 0.001). A similar, deeply modified OSS was already observed in COVID-19 patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit. TAC evaluated in saliva, urine, and skin correlated negatively with copper and with plasma total hydroperoxides. To conclude, the systemic OSS, determined using a large number of biomarkers, was always significantly increased in cured COVID-19 patients during their recovery phase. The less costly evaluation of TAC using an electrochemical method could potentially represent a good alternative to the individual analysis of biomarkers linked to pro-oxidants.
