Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40137156›Full record

ArticleMetabolites2025

Analyses of Saliva Metabolome Reveal Patterns of Metabolites That Differentiate SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Disease Severity.

Violeta Larios-Serrato, Natalia Vázquez-Manjarrez, Osbaldo Resendis-Antonio, Nora Rios-Sarabia, Beatriz Meza, Oliver Fiehn, Javier Torres

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Metabolites, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Aberrant CD4bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    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

7 authors.

Violeta Larios-SerratoDepartamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0003-0052-4376
Natalia Vázquez-ManjarrezUnidad de Metabolómica, Departamento Fisiologia de la Nutricion, Instituto de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City 14080, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0003-3482-3526
Osbaldo Resendis-AntonioHuman Systems Biology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad & Coordinación de la Investigación Científica-Red de Apoyo a la Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0001-5220-541X
Nora Rios-SarabiaUnidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas, UMAE Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional SXXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City 06920, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-1341-0581
Beatriz MezaDepartamento Académico de Ciencia Animal y Conservación del Hábitat, Departamento Académico de Ingenierías en Pesquerías, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz 023080, Mexico.
Oliver FiehnNIH West Coast Metabolomics Center, UC Davis Genome Center, Davis, CA 95616, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6261-8928
Javier TorresUnidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas, UMAE Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional SXXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City 06920, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0003-3945-4221

Funding

Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONACYT) 312992
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe metabolome of COVID-19 patients has been studied sparsely, with most research focusing on a limited number of plasma metabolites or small cohorts. This is the first study to test saliva metabolites in COVID-19 patients in a comprehensive way, revealing patterns significantly linked to disease and severity, highlighting saliva's potential as a non-invasive tool for pathogenesis or diagnostic studies.

methodsWe included 30 asymptomatic subjects with no prior COVID-19 infection or vaccination, 102 patients with mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 61 hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 status. Saliva samples were analyzed using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) in positive and negative ionization modes.

resultsSignificant differences in metabolites were identified in COVID-19 patients, with distinct patterns associated with disease severity. Dipeptides such as Val-Glu and Met-Gln were highly elevated in moderate cases, suggesting specific protease activity related to SARS-CoV-2. Acetylated amino acids like N-acetylserine and N-acetylhistidine increased in severe cases. Bacterial metabolites, including muramic acid and indole-3-carboxaldehyde, were higher in mild-moderate cases, indicating that oral microbiota differs according to disease severity. In severe cases, polyamines and organ-damage-related metabolites, such as N-acetylspermine and 3-methylcytidine, were significantly increased. Interestingly, most metabolites that were reduced in moderate cases were elevated in severe cases.

conclusionsSaliva metabolomics offers insightful information that is potentially useful in studying COVID-19 severity and for diagnosis.

Indexed as

COVID-19metabolomepatientseverity

Identifiers

PMID40137156
PMCPMC11944064

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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.