Serum Levels of Proinflammatory Lipid Mediators and Specialized Proresolving Molecules Are Increased in Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Correlate With Markers of the Adaptive Immune Response

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 2022-06, Vol.225 (12), p.2142-2154
• Main Authors: Turnbull, James, Jha, Rakesh R, Ortori, Catherine A, Lunt, Eleanor, Tighe, Patrick J, Irving, William L, Gohir, Sameer A, Kim, Dong-Hyun, Valdes, Ana M, Tarr, Alexander W, Barrett, David A, Chapman, Victoria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive Immunity; Antibodies, Viral; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Eicosanoids; Female; Humans; Immune response; Inflammation; Linoleic acid; Lipids; Major and Brief Reports; Male; Nucleocapsids; Patients; SARS-CoV-2; Serum levels; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sex; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab632

Abstract Background Specialized proresolution molecules (SPMs) halt the transition to chronic pathogenic inflammation. We aimed to quantify serum levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory bioactive lipids in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients, and to identify potential relationships with innate responses and clinical outcome. Methods Serum from 50 hospital admitted inpatients (22 female, 28 male) with confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and 94 age- and sex-matched controls collected prior to the pandemic (SARS-CoV-2 negative), were processed for quantification of bioactive lipids and anti-nucleocapsid and anti-spike quantitative binding assays. Results SARS-CoV-2 serum had significantly higher concentrations of omega-6–derived proinflammatory lipids and omega-6– and omega-3–derived SPMs, compared to the age- and sex-matched SARS-CoV-2–negative group, which were not markedly altered by age or sex. There were significant positive correlations between SPMs, proinflammatory bioactive lipids, and anti-spike antibody binding. Levels of some SPMs were significantly higher in patients with an anti-spike antibody value >0.5. Levels of linoleic acid and 5,6-dihydroxy-8Z,11Z,14Z-eicosatrienoic acid were significantly lower in SARS-CoV-2 patients who died. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased levels of SPMs and other pro- and anti-inflammatory bioactive lipids, supporting the future investigation of the underlying enzymatic pathways, which may inform the development of novel treatments. Serum levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory lipid mediators were increased in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) hospitalized patients compared with age- and sex-matched SARS-CoV-2–negative controls; some lipid mediators were significantly correlated with anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid binding, measures of adaptive immune response.