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SARS-CoV-2, hemoglobin and protoporphyrin IX: Interactions and perspectives
Lilia Coronato Courrol1, Flávia Rodrigues de Oliveira Silva2, Valdivel Masilamani3
1Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil.
Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy
|May 9, 2021
Summary
SARS-CoV-2 infection disrupts hemoglobin, releasing protoporphyrin (PpIX). This study explores PpIX fluorescence as a potential diagnostic and monitoring tool for COVID-19, offering new therapeutic avenues.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- SARS-CoV-2 infection impacts hemoglobin by dissociating iron from heme via the ORF3a protein.
- This process releases protoporphyrin (PpIX), a molecule crucial for cellular machinery and viral replication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cellular roles of heme and protoporphyrin (PpIX) in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- To explore the potential of PpIX fluorescence as a diagnostic biomarker for COVID-19.
- To assess PpIX's utility in monitoring disease progression and treatment response.
Main Methods:
- Quantification of PpIX levels using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
- Observation of PpIX fluorescence emission at characteristic bands (~635 nm and ~705 nm).
Main Results:
- COVID-19 patients exhibit decreased hemoglobin and increased PpIX levels.
- PpIX fluorescence can be detected and quantified, correlating with disease state.
Conclusions:
- Fluorescence spectroscopy offers a sensitive, low-cost diagnostic method for COVID-19.
- PpIX fluorescence can serve as a marker for monitoring treatment efficacy.
- Endogenous PpIX, elevated during acute COVID-19, may be leveraged for photodynamic and sonodynamic therapies.
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