Abstract
To investigate Long COVID Syndrome (LCS) pathophysiology, we performed an exploratory study with blood plasma derived from three groups: 1) healthy vaccinated individuals without SARS-CoV-2 exposure; 2) asymptomatic recovered patients at least three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection and; 3) symptomatic patients at least 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection with chronic fatigue syndrome or similar symptoms, here designated as Long COVID Syndrome (LCS) patients. Multiplex cytokine profiling indicated slightly elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in recovered individuals in contrast to LCS patients. Plasma proteomics demonstrated low levels of acute phase proteins and macrophage-derived secreted proteins in LCS. High levels of anti-inflammatory oxylipins including omega-3 fatty acids in LCS were detected by eicosadomics, whereas targeted metabolic profiling indicated high levels of anti-inflammatory osmolytes taurine and hypaphorine, but low amino acid and triglyceride levels and deregulated acylcarnithines. A model considering alternatively polarized macrophages as a major contributor for these molecular alterations is presented.
Preprint:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9719844/
To investigate Long COVID Syndrome (LCS) pathophysiology, we performed an exploratory study with blood plasma derived from three groups: 1) healthy vaccinated individuals without SARS-CoV-2 exposure; 2) asymptomatic recovered patients at least three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection and; 3) symptomatic patients at least 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection with chronic fatigue syndrome or similar symptoms, here designated as Long COVID Syndrome (LCS) patients. Multiplex cytokine profiling indicated slightly elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in recovered individuals in contrast to LCS patients. Plasma proteomics demonstrated low levels of acute phase proteins and macrophage-derived secreted proteins in LCS. High levels of anti-inflammatory oxylipins including omega-3 fatty acids in LCS were detected by eicosadomics, whereas targeted metabolic profiling indicated high levels of anti-inflammatory osmolytes taurine and hypaphorine, but low amino acid and triglyceride levels and deregulated acylcarnithines. A model considering alternatively polarized macrophages as a major contributor for these molecular alterations is presented.
Preprint:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9719844/