Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40352457›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in endocrinology2025

Pre-existing adipose tissue signaling profile related to obesity determines disease outcome of COVID-19: addressing obesity should be a priority for future pandemic preparedness.

Arifa Parker, Kelly Petersen-Ross, Tongai Maponga, Samina Parkar, Nadiya Ahmed, Candice I Snyders, Martin Kidd, Jantjie J Taljaard, Graeme Meintjes, Coenraad F N Koegelenberg and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

12 authors.

Arifa ParkerDivision of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Kelly Petersen-RossExperimental Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Tongai MapongaDivision of Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Samina ParkarDivision of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Nadiya AhmedDivision of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Candice I SnydersDepartment of Science and Innovation - National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Martin KiddCentre for Statistical Consultation, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Jantjie J TaljaardDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Graeme MeintjesDepartment of Medicine, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Coenraad F N KoegelenbergDivision of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Léanie KleynhansDepartment of Science and Innovation - National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Carine SmithDivision of Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Obesity is associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality. We investigated relationships between adipokines, cytokines and redox parameters with obesity, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), severity and outcome. Methods: In the exploratory study, adipose tissue (AT) was sampled in patients with COVID-19 on admission. Concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, resistin, interleukin 1 beta (IL-1b), IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), oxidative stress (H Results: Thirty-eight biopsies of subcutaneous adipose tissue were obtained (prevalence of HIV was 39% and of obesity 61%). Higher IL-6 serum concentrations (p=0.03) were associated with more severe COVID-19, and higher serum IL-10 concentrations, (p=0.03) with mortality. People with obesity had higher leptin concentrations (p=0.03, and p<0.01), lower adiponectin/leptin (p=0.03 and p<0.01), and higher leptin/resistin ratios (p=0.09 and p<0.01) in both AT and serum respectively. Higher leptin/resistin (p=0.04) and lower adiponectin/resistin (p=0.05) ratios in AT, but not serum, were predictive of mortality. HIV was not associated with any differences. Relationships between resistin and redox indicators, TEAC and MDA, suggest a dysregulation of metabolic vs immune-relevant effect of resistin, which differentially predicted severity and mortality. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in the subcutaneous AT in 3/8 patients who demised, but only in 1/30 who survived. Conclusion: Given the significant link demonstrated between leptin dysregulation in obesity and mortal severity of COVID-19, addressing obesity should be a priority therapeutic target in terms of future pandemic preparedness. Mechanistic studies are recommended to further elucidate the importance of metabolic vs immune modulation by resistin in COVID-19, to identify future therapeutic targets.

Indexed as

Adipose TissueCOVID-19ObesityAdipokinesAdultAgedCytokinesFemaleHumansLeptinMaleMiddle AgedOxidative StressPandemic PreparednessPandemicsSARS-CoV-2AdipokinesCytokinesLeptinadipokineadiponectinadipose tissueCOVID-19HIVleptinobesityresistin

Identifiers

PMID40352457
PMCPMC12061698

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.