Integrative Multidimensional Profiling of Individuals Recovered from Mild COVID-19 Reveals Immune-Metabolic-Oxidative
Iole Macchia1, Valentina La Sorsa2, Francesca Marcon3
1Oncology and Molecular Medicine Department, National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|July 28, 2026
Summary
COVID-19 recovery involves complex immune and molecular changes. Higher vaccination correlated with reduced oxidative stress and better immune profiles, suggesting broader protection beyond antibodies.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Metabolomics
- Systems Biology
Background:
- COVID-19 necessitates understanding immune and molecular responses post-infection and vaccination.
- Beyond antibodies and cellular immunity, COVID-19 impacts oxidative stress, DNA repair, and metabolic adaptation.
- Immune resilience is linked to metabolic adaptation and repair mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a multidimensional analysis of individuals recovered from mild COVID-19.
- To integrate clinical, immune, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and metabolic data.
- To explore associations between biological domains in COVID-19 recovery.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 20 individuals recovered from mild COVID-19.
- Integration of clinical, humoral, cellular immune, T cell, myeloid, oxidative stress, DNA damage, metabolomic, and lipidomic data.
- Network modeling to reveal structured associations across biological domains.
Main Results:
- Network modeling identified a cluster linking vaccine dose number, anti-Spike antibody titers, oxidative stress, bioenergetics, and granulocyte activation.
- Higher vaccination associated with stronger humoral immunity, lower oxidative stress, and balanced myeloid-metabolic profiles.
- Associations found between symptom patterns, T cell states, anti-nucleocapsid responses, inflammation, and DNA damage markers.
Conclusions:
- Mild COVID-19 recovery involves interconnected immunometabolic, clinical, and genomic stress factors.
- Vaccination may offer protective benefits beyond antibody induction, influencing oxidative stress and myeloid-metabolism.
- Integrative frameworks are valuable for understanding infectious disease recovery, warranting further longitudinal studies.
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