Plasma Metabolomic Alterations Induced by COVID-19 Vaccination Reveal Putative Biomarkers Reflecting the Immune Response
Ioanna Dagla,
Aikaterini Iliou,
Dimitra Benaki,
Evagelos Gikas,
Emmanuel Mikros,
Tina Bagratuni,
Efstathios Kastritis,
Meletios A. Dimopoulos,
Evangelos Terpos,
Anthony Tsarbopoulos
Affiliations
Ioanna Dagla
The Goulandris Natural History Museum, Bioanalytical Laboratory, GAIA Research Center, 145 62 Kifissia, Greece
Aikaterini Iliou
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistiomiopolis, Zografou, 157 71 Athens, Greece
Dimitra Benaki
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistiomiopolis, Zografou, 157 71 Athens, Greece
Evagelos Gikas
Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Zografou, 157 71 Athens, Greece
Emmanuel Mikros
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistiomiopolis, Zografou, 157 71 Athens, Greece
Tina Bagratuni
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistiomiopolis, Zografou, 115 28 Athens, Greece
Efstathios Kastritis
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistiomiopolis, Zografou, 115 28 Athens, Greece
Meletios A. Dimopoulos
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistiomiopolis, Zografou, 115 28 Athens, Greece
Evangelos Terpos
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistiomiopolis, Zografou, 115 28 Athens, Greece
Anthony Tsarbopoulos
The Goulandris Natural History Museum, Bioanalytical Laboratory, GAIA Research Center, 145 62 Kifissia, Greece
Vaccination is currently the most effective strategy for the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic. mRNA vaccines trigger the immune system to produce neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. However, the underlying molecular processes affecting immune response after vaccination remain poorly understood, while there is significant heterogeneity in the immune response among individuals. Metabolomics have often been used to provide a deeper understanding of immune cell responses, but in the context of COVID-19 vaccination such data are scarce. Mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics were used to provide insights based on the baseline metabolic profile and metabolic alterations induced after mRNA vaccination in paired blood plasma samples collected and analysed before the first and second vaccination and at 3 months post first dose. Based on the level of NAbs just before the second dose, two groups, “low” and “high” responders, were defined. Distinct plasma metabolic profiles were observed in relation to the level of immune response, highlighting the role of amino acid metabolism and the lipid profile as predictive markers of response to vaccination. Furthermore, levels of plasma ceramides along with certain amino acids could emerge as predictive biomarkers of response and severity of inflammation.
