SARS-CoV-2 Infection Dysregulates the Metabolomic and Lipidomic Profiles of Serum

• Main Authors: Chiara Bruzzone, Maider Bizkarguenaga, Rubén Gil-Redondo, Tammo Diercks, Eunate Arana, Aitor García de Vicuña, Marisa Seco, Alexandre Bosch, Asís Palazón, Itxaso San Juan, Ana Laín, Jon Gil-Martínez, Ganeko Bernardo-Seisdedos, David Fernández-Ramos, Fernando Lopitz-Otsoa, Nieves Embade, Shelly Lu, José M. Mato, Oscar Millet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-10-01
• Series: iScience
• Subjects: Human Metabolism; Virology; Metabolomics
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004220308373

Summary: COVID-19 is a systemic infection that exerts significant impact on the metabolism. Yet, there is little information on how SARS-CoV-2 affects metabolism. Using NMR spectroscopy, we measured the metabolomic and lipidomic serum profile from 263 (training cohort) + 135 (validation cohort) symptomatic patients hospitalized after positive PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also established the profiles of 280 persons collected before the coronavirus pandemic started. Principal-component analysis discriminated both cohorts, highlighting the impact that the infection has on overall metabolism. The lipidomic analysis unraveled a pathogenic redistribution of the lipoprotein particle size and composition to increase the atherosclerotic risk. In turn, metabolomic analysis reveals abnormally high levels of ketone bodies (acetoacetic acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, and acetone) and 2-hydroxybutyric acid, a readout of hepatic glutathione synthesis and marker of oxidative stress. Our results are consistent with a model in which SARS-CoV-2 infection induces liver damage associated with dyslipidemia and oxidative stress.