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Distinct Plasma LPC Signatures Differentiate COVID-19 Sepsis from Other Sepsis Aetiologies
Pavel, Vlad
, Mester, Patricia, Höring, Marcus
, Liebisch, Gerhard
, Schmid, Stephan
, Müller, Martina and Buechler, Christa
(2025)
Distinct Plasma LPC Signatures Differentiate COVID-19 Sepsis from Other Sepsis Aetiologies.
Biomedicines 13 (9), p. 2110.
Date of publication of this fulltext: 19 Sep 2025 13:30
Article
DOI to cite this document: 10.5283/epub.77785
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Low levels of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in the blood can be used as a diagnostic marker for sepsis. SARS-CoV-2 infection, a more recent cause of sepsis, shares similarities with non-SARS-CoV-2 sepsis but also exhibits distinct features. We have recently shown that plasma cholesteryl ester levels are higher in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection than in patients without, ...
Background/Objectives: Low levels of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in the blood can be used as a diagnostic marker for sepsis. SARS-CoV-2 infection, a more recent cause of sepsis, shares similarities with non-SARS-CoV-2 sepsis but also exhibits distinct features. We have recently shown that plasma cholesteryl ester levels are higher in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection than in patients without, and this study analysed whether this may extend to differences in LPC, a bioactive constituent of lipoproteins. Methods: The plasma levels of 13 LPC species were measured by flow injection analysis tandem mass spectrometry (FIA-MS/MS) in 157 patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis or septic shock. Of these patients, 24 had SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Patients with SIRS exhibited higher plasma levels of the minor LPC species LPC 15:0 and 22:4 compared to those with sepsis or septic shock. Five LPC species were also reduced in the plasma of 31 patients with liver cirrhosis; therefore, patients with cirrhosis or SIRS were excluded from subsequent analyses. Compared to 76 non-COVID-19 patients with sepsis or septic shock, SARS-CoV-2 infection in 21 patients was associated with significantly higher plasma levels of ten individual LPC species and total LPC concentration. In patients with sepsis/septic shock, LPC species showed negative correlations with procalcitonin and interleukin-6, and positive correlations with gamma-glutamyltransferase and cholesteryl ester levels. In contrast, no significant associations were observed between LPC levels and C-reactive protein, aminotransferases, or free cholesterol. Conclusions: Differential LPC levels, despite comparable disease severity, may serve as metabolic biomarkers to distinguish SARS-CoV-2 sepsis from other causes of sepsis and inform targeted therapeutic approaches.
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Details
| Item type | Article | ||||
| Journal or Publication Title | Biomedicines | ||||
| Publisher: | MDPI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Access Type: | Gold (with APC) | ||||
| Volume: | 13 | ||||
| Number of Issue or Book Chapter: | 9 | ||||
| Page Range: | p. 2110 | ||||
| Date | 29 August 2025 | ||||
| Institutions | Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Innere Medizin I | ||||
| Identification Number |
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| Keywords | COVID-19; lysophosphatidylcholine; sepsis; mortality | ||||
| Dewey Decimal Classification | 600 Technology > 610 Medical sciences Medicine | ||||
| Status | Published | ||||
| Refereed | Yes, this version has been refereed | ||||
| Created at the University of Regensburg | Yes | ||||
| URN of the UB Regensburg | urn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-777855 | ||||
| Item ID | 77785 |
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