Metabolomic Insights into COVID-19 Severity: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Infectious Disease Research
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019, causing a global health crisis with diverse clinical presentations.
• Metabolomics, closely linked to physiological states, is a valuable tool for understanding disease mechanisms and predicting outcomes.
• Previous studies indicate metabolic variations correlating with COVID-19 severity, suggesting potential for deeper pathophysiological insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of metabolomic alterations in relation to COVID-19 severity.
• To identify key metabolites and metabolic pathways impacted by SARS-CoV-2 infection severity.

Main Methods:

• A systematic scoping review was performed following PRISMA guidelines.
• Searches were conducted in PubMed, DOAJ, and BioMed Central databases from 2020 to 2024.
• 42 articles were selected from an initial pool of 2938 for analysis.

Main Results:

• Several metabolites showed consistent changes with COVID-19 severity: increased phenylalanine, glucose, and glutamic acid; decreased tryptophan, proline, and glutamine.
• Pathway analysis identified phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan biosynthesis, and arginine biosynthesis as significantly impacted pathways.
• These findings highlight specific metabolic signatures associated with disease severity.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 severity is strongly associated with substantial metabolic changes.
• These alterations involve amino acid metabolism, energy production, immune response, and redox balance.
• Metabolomics provides critical insights into the complex pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection.