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Biomolecules
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Metabolic Pathways and COVID-19: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications
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Metabolic Pathways and COVID-19: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 8156

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Simona Iftimie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43204 Reus, Spain
Interests: infectious diseases; inflammation; COVID-19; nosocomial infections; outbreak
Dr. Jordi Camps

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica (Biomedical Research Unit), Hospital Sant Joan de Reus, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain
Interests: oxidative stress; inflammation; metabolism; non-communicable diseases; infectious diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the entire world with a health and economic crisis unprecedented in modern society. So far, more than 500 million people have been affected and more than 6 million deaths from this disease have been reported, although the WHO estimates that the real numbers could triple the officially registered figures. Interestingly, there are many direct links between COVID-19 and the metabolic system. Increased oxidative stress related to the infection itself and the defensive response of macrophages influence endogenous antioxidant systems and compromise mitochondrial function. The consequence is a profound disturbance in glycolysis and lipid and amino acid metabolism. This metabolic manipulation triggers an enhanced inflammatory response that contributes to the severity of symptoms. Unsurprisingly, patients with chronic diseases with a metabolic component are at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19. This is evident in patients with atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, or fatty liver disease. Likewise, patients with COVID-19 have a high risk of developing long-term metabolic diseases. This Special Issue aims to publish original research papers and reviews on the interrelationships between metabolic pathways and COVID-19. Mechanistic studies concerning patients, experimental animals or cells in culture are welcome, as well as the investigation of potential biomarkers of metabolic origin for the diagnosis, prognosis, or monitoring of the disease. We also welcome the search for new treatments, whether pharmacological or through bioactive compounds, and new therapeutic targets.

Dr. Simona Iftimie
Dr. Jordi Camps
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomarkers
  • COVID-19
  • metabolism
  • mitochondria
  • therapeutic targets

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3374 KiB  
Article
Combining Semi-Targeted Metabolomics and Machine Learning to Identify Metabolic Alterations in the Serum and Urine of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19
by Gerard Baiges-Gaya, Simona Iftimie, Helena Castañé, Elisabet Rodríguez-Tomàs, Andrea Jiménez-Franco, Ana F. López-Azcona, Antoni Castro, Jordi Camps and Jorge Joven
Biomolecules 2023, 13(1), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13010163 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2251
Abstract
Viral infections cause metabolic dysregulation in the infected organism. The present study used metabolomics techniques and machine learning algorithms to retrospectively analyze the alterations of a broad panel of metabolites in the serum and urine of a cohort of 126 patients hospitalized with [...] Read more.
Viral infections cause metabolic dysregulation in the infected organism. The present study used metabolomics techniques and machine learning algorithms to retrospectively analyze the alterations of a broad panel of metabolites in the serum and urine of a cohort of 126 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Results were compared with those of 50 healthy subjects and 45 COVID-19-negative patients but with bacterial infectious diseases. Metabolites were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The main metabolites altered in the sera of COVID-19 patients were those of pentose glucuronate interconversion, ascorbate and fructose metabolism, nucleotide sugars, and nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Alterations in serum maltose, mannonic acid, xylitol, or glyceric acid metabolites segregated positive patients from the control group with high diagnostic accuracy, while succinic acid segregated positive patients from those with other disparate infectious diseases. Increased lauric acid concentrations were associated with the severity of infection and death. Urine analyses could not discriminate between groups. Targeted metabolomics and machine learning algorithms facilitated the exploration of the metabolic alterations underlying COVID-19 infection, and to identify the potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolic Pathways and COVID-19: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications)
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14 pages, 11302 KiB  
Article
Lipidomics Revealed Plasma Phospholipid Profile Differences between Deceased and Recovered COVID-19 Patients
by Neven Žarković, Biserka Orehovec, Bruno Baršić, Marko Tarle, Marta Kmet, Ivica Lukšić, Franz Tatzber, Willibald Wonisch, Elżbieta Skrzydlewska and Wojciech Łuczaj
Biomolecules 2022, 12(10), 1488; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12101488 - 15 Oct 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1671
Abstract
Thorough understanding of metabolic changes, including lipidome alteration, associated with the development of COVID-19 appears to be crucial, as new types of coronaviruses are still reported. In this study, we analyzed the differences in the plasma phospholipid profiles of the deceased COVID-19 patients, [...] Read more.
Thorough understanding of metabolic changes, including lipidome alteration, associated with the development of COVID-19 appears to be crucial, as new types of coronaviruses are still reported. In this study, we analyzed the differences in the plasma phospholipid profiles of the deceased COVID-19 patients, those who recovered and healthy people. Due to identified abnormalities in plasma phospholipid profiles, deceased patients were further divided into two subgroups (D1 and D2). Increased levels of phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), phosphatidylcholines (PC) and phosphatidylserines (PS) were found in the plasma of recovered patients and the majority of deceased patients (first subgroup D1) compared to the control group. However, abundances of all relevant PE, PC and PS species decreased dramatically in the plasma of the second subgroup (D2) of five deceased patients. These patients also had significantly decreased plasma COX-2 activity when compared to the control, in contrast to unchanged and increased COX-2 activity in the plasma of the other deceased patients and recovered patients, respectively. Moreover, these five deceased patients were characterized by abnormally low CRP levels and tremendous increase in LDH levels, which may be the result of other pathophysiological disorders, including disorders of the immune system, liver damage and haemolytic anemia. In addition, an observed trend to decrease the autoantibodies against oxidative modifications of low-density lipoprotein (oLAb) titer in all, especially in deceased patients, indicate systemic oxidative stress and altered immune system that may have prognostic value in COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolic Pathways and COVID-19: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications)
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9 pages, 2020 KiB  
Article
Usefulness of the Measurement of Serum Paraoxonase-1 Arylesterase Activity in the Diagnoses of COVID-19
by Xavier Gabaldó, Màrius Juanpere, Helena Castañé, Elisabet Rodríguez-Tomàs, Ana Felisa López-Azcona, Gerard Baiges-Gaya, Lourdes Castro, Enrique Valverde-Díaz, Aida Muñoz-Blázquez, Laura Giménez-Cuenca, Laura Felipo-Balada, Frederic Ballester, Isabel Pujol, Josep M. Simó, Antoni Castro, Simona Iftimie, Jordi Camps and Jorge Joven
Biomolecules 2022, 12(7), 879; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12070879 - 23 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1896
Abstract
The development of inexpensive, fast, and reliable screening tests for COVID-19 is, as yet, an unmet need. The present study was aimed at evaluating the usefulness of serum arylesterase activity of paraoxonase-1 (PON1) measurement as a screening test in patients with different severity [...] Read more.
The development of inexpensive, fast, and reliable screening tests for COVID-19 is, as yet, an unmet need. The present study was aimed at evaluating the usefulness of serum arylesterase activity of paraoxonase-1 (PON1) measurement as a screening test in patients with different severity levels of COVID-19 infection. We included 615 COVID-19-positive patients who were classified as asymptomatic, mildly symptomatic, severely symptomatic, or fatally symptomatic. Results were compared with 50 healthy volunteers, 330 patients with cancer, and 343 with morbid obesity. Results showed PON1 activity greatly decreased in COVID-19 compared to healthy volunteers; a receiver operating characteristics plot showed a high diagnostic accuracy. The degree of COVID-19 severity did not influence PON1 levels. Our results indicated that PON1 determination was efficient for disease diagnosis, but not for prognosis. Furthermore, patients with obesity or cancer presented alterations similar to those of COVID-19 patients. As such, elevated levels of PON1 indicate the absence of COVID-19, but low levels may be present in various other chronic diseases. The assay is fast and inexpensive. We suggest that PON1 measurement could be used as an initial, high cut-off point screening method, while lower values should be confirmed with the more expensive nucleic acid amplification test. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolic Pathways and COVID-19: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications)
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Review

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10 pages, 440 KiB  
Review
Metabolic Activation of PARP as a SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutic Target—Is It a Bait for the Virus or the Best Deal We Could Ever Make with the Virus? Is AMBICA the Potential Cure?
by Prasanth Puthanveetil
Biomolecules 2023, 13(2), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13020374 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1584
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on global health and is an economic burden. Even with vaccines and anti-viral medications we are still scrambling to get a balance. In this perspective, we have shed light upon an extremely feasible approach by [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on global health and is an economic burden. Even with vaccines and anti-viral medications we are still scrambling to get a balance. In this perspective, we have shed light upon an extremely feasible approach by which we can control the SARS-CoV-2 infection and the associated complications, bringing some solace to this ongoing turmoil. We are providing some insights regarding an ideal agent which could prevent SARS-CoV-2 multiplication. If we could identify an agent which is an activator of metabolism and is also bioactive, we could prevent corona activation (AMBICA). Some naturally occurring lipid molecules best fit this identity as an agent which has the capacity to replenish our host cells, specifically immune cells, with ATP. It could also act as a source for providing a substrate for host cell PARP family members for MARylation and PARylation processes, leading to manipulation of the viral macro domain function, resulting in curbing the virulence and propagation of SARS-CoV-2. Identification of the right lipid molecule or combination of lipid molecules will fulfill the criteria. This perspective has focused on a unique angle of host-pathogen interaction and will open up a new dimension in treating COVID-19 infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolic Pathways and COVID-19: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications)
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