Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40019163›Full record

SynthesisJournal of global health2025

Metabolomic characteristics and related pathways in patients with different severity of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Chenghao Bi, Junjie He, Yu Yuan, Shumei Che, Ting Cui, Li Ning, Yubo Li, Zhiying Dou, Liwen Han

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Metabolic signature of COVID-19 progression: potential prognostic markers for severity and outcome.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Chenghao Bi *State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Junjie He *State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Yu Yuan *State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Shumei CheState Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Ting CuiState Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Li NingDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Yubo LiState Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Zhiying DouState Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Liwen HanSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Science, Jinan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Despite advances in metabolomic research on COVID-19, existing studies have small sample sizes and few have comprehensively described the metabolic characteristics of patients with COVID-19 at each stage. In this systematic review, we aimed to summarise the similarities and differences of biomarkers in patients with COVID-19 of different severity and describe their metabolic characteristics at different stages. Methods: We retrieved studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library published by October 2022. We performed a meta-analysis on untargeted and targeted metabolomics research data, using the ratio of means as the effect size. We compared changes in metabolite levels between patients with varying severity and controls and investigated sources of heterogeneity through subgroup analyses and meta-regression analysis. Results: We included 22 cohorts from 21 studies, comprising 2421 participants, including COVID-19 patients of varying severity and healthy controls. We conducted meta-analysis and heterogeneity analysis on the 1058 metabolites included in the study. The results indicated that, compared to the healthy control group, 23 biomarkers were associated with mild cases (P < 0.05), 3 biomarkers with moderate cases (P < 0.05), and 37 biomarkers with severe cases (P < 0.05). Pathway enrichment analysis revealed significant disturbances in amino acid metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, primary bile acid biosynthesis, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism in patients with mild, moderate, and severe disease. Additionally, we found that each severity stage exhibited unique metabolic patterns (all P < 0.05) and that the degree of metabolic dysregulation progressively worsened with increasing disease severity (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of our meta-analysis indicate the similarities and differences of biomarkers and metabolic characteristics of patients with different severity in COVID-19, thereby providing new pathways for the study of pathogenesis, the development precise treatment, and the formulation of comprehensive strategies. Registration: PROSPERO: CRD42022369937.

Indexed as

COVID-19MetabolomicsBiomarkersHumansMetabolomeSARS-CoV-2Severity of Illness IndexBiomarkers

Identifiers

PMID40019163
PMCPMC11869518

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Registered trials

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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.