Diffusion and relaxation edited proton NMR spectroscopy of plasma reveals a high-fidelity supramolecular biomarker signature of SARS-CoV-2 infection
File(s)acs.analchem.0c04952.pdf (3.12 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We have applied nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy based plasma phenotyping to reveal diagnostic molecular signatures of SARS-CoV-2 infection via combined diffusional and relaxation editing (DIRE). We compared plasma from healthy age-matched controls (n = 26) with SARS-CoV-2 negative non-hospitalized respiratory patients and hospitalized respiratory patients (n = 23 and 11 respectively) with SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR positive respiratory patients (n = 17, with longitudinal sampling time-points). DIRE data were modelled using principal component analysis and orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (O-PLS-DA), with statistical cross-validation indices indicating excellent model generalization for the classification of SARS-CoV-2 positivity for all comparator groups (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve = 1). DIRE spectra show biomarker signal combinations conferred by differential concentrations of metabolites with selected molecular mobility properties. These comprise the following: (a) composite N-acetyl signals from α-1-acid glycoprotein and other glycoproteins (designated GlycA and GlycB) that were elevated in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients [p = 2.52 × 10–10 (GlycA) and 1.25 × 10–9 (GlycB) vs controls], (b) two diagnostic supramolecular phospholipid composite signals that were identified (SPC-A and SPC-B) from the –+N–(CH3)3 choline headgroups of lysophosphatidylcholines carried on plasma glycoproteins and from phospholipids in high-density lipoprotein subfractions (SPC-A) together with a phospholipid component of low-density lipoprotein (SPC–B). The integrals of the summed SPC signals (SPCtotal) were reduced in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients relative to both controls (p = 1.40 × 10–7) and SARS-CoV-2 negative patients (p = 4.52 × 10–8) but were not significantly different between controls and SARS-CoV-2 negative patients. The identity of the SPC signal components was determined using one and two dimensional diffusional, relaxation, and statistical spectroscopic experiments. The SPCtotal/GlycA ratios were also significantly different for control versus SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (p = 1.23 × 10–10) and for SARS-CoV-2 negatives versus positives (p = 1.60 × 10–9). Thus, plasma SPCtotal and SPCtotal/GlycA are proposed as sensitive molecular markers for SARS-CoV-2 positivity that could effectively augment current COVID-19 diagnostics and may have value in functional assessment of the disease recovery process in patients with long-term symptoms.
Date Issued
2021-03-02
Date Acceptance
2021-01-28
Citation
Analytical Chemistry, 2021, 93 (8), pp.3976-3986
ISSN
0003-2700
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
3976
End Page
3986
Journal / Book Title
Analytical Chemistry
Volume
93
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This work is published under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000626269400040&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Chemistry, Analytical
Chemistry
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-02-12