Observational studyJCI insight2020
COVID-19 infection alters kynurenine and fatty acid metabolism, correlating with IL-6 levels and renal status.
Observational study in JCI insight, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 388 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
388 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 596 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- The tryptophan catabolite or kynurenine pathway in COVID-19 and critical COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Pooled it
- Metabolic reprogramming of endothelial-related pathways in COVID-19 patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy: a randomized clinical trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Blood-storage duration affects hematological and metabolic profiles in patients with sickle cell disease receiving transfusions.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Metabolomics of in vivo inflammation identifies soluble sialic acid as a conserved myeloid-cell metabolite.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Article
- Metabolic Signatures Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination in Serum from Healthy Individuals.Vaccines · 2026Article
- Knowledge-driven interpretable neural networks provide mechanistic insight.Genome research · 2026Article
- The Divergent Metabolomic Landscape of COVID-19 and Community-Acquired Pneumonia.Critical care explorations · 2026Observational
- Haptoglobin Phenotypes Stratify Post-Exertional Cognitive Dysfunction Associated with Altered Cerebral Oxygenation and Metabolic Signatures in Long COVID.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Observational
- DIVAS: an R package for identifying shared and individual variations of multiomics data.Bioinformatics (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Metabolomics ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Integrating host-microbiota metabolic networks: how aromatic amino acids shape immune homeostasis and affect disease progression.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2026Review
- Benchtop NMR as a clinical tool for acute respiratory illness: metabolic signatures associated with disease severity.Respiratory research · 2026Article
- Host metabolic responses to SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses: parallels and contrasts.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2026Review
- Severe Hospitalization-Requiring Viral Infection With Influenza or COVID-19: Metabolic Pathway Analysis.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- A quantitative metabolic signature of host response during SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery.iScience · 2026Article
- A Unique Patient Stratification Method Combined with a Machine Learning Approach Identifies Novel Genetic Susceptibility and Protective Factors for Severe COVID-19 in a Hungarian Population.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Quinolinic acid as trigger/biomarker of dysosmia/dysgeusia in patients with acute coronavirus disease 2019: A retrospective case-control study.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Long-Distance Trail Running Induces Inflammatory-Associated Protein, Lipid, and Purine Oxidation in Red Blood Cells.Blood red cells & iron · 2026Article
328 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUNDReprogramming of host metabolism supports viral pathogenesis by fueling viral proliferation, by providing, for example, free amino acids and fatty acids as building blocks.METHODSTo investigate metabolic effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we evaluated serum metabolites of patients with COVID-19 (n = 33; diagnosed by nucleic acid testing), as compared with COVID-19-negative controls (n = 16).RESULTSTargeted and untargeted metabolomics analyses identified altered tryptophan metabolism into the kynurenine pathway, which regulates inflammation and immunity. Indeed, these changes in tryptophan metabolism correlated with interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. Widespread dysregulation of nitrogen metabolism was also seen in infected patients, with altered levels of most amino acids, along with increased markers of oxidant stress (e.g., methionine sulfoxide, cystine), proteolysis, and renal dysfunction (e.g., creatine, creatinine, polyamines). Increased circulating levels of glucose and free fatty acids were also observed, consistent with altered carbon homeostasis. Interestingly, metabolite levels in these pathways correlated with clinical laboratory markers of inflammation (i.e., IL-6 and C-reactive protein) and renal function (i.e., blood urea nitrogen).CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, this initial observational study identified amino acid and fatty acid metabolism as correlates of COVID-19, providing mechanistic insights, potential markers of clinical severity, and potential therapeutic targets.FUNDINGBoettcher Foundation Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Award; National Institute of General and Medical Sciences, NIH; and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.