Age-related DNA damage in middle-aged hospitalised COVID-19 patients

  • Draxler, A. (Vortragende*r)
  • Jessica Binar (Autor*in)
  • Michael Haslacher (Autor*in)
  • Laura Bragagna (Vortragende*r)
  • Maqboul, L. (Vortragende*r)
  • Brenda Anna Maria Laky (Vortragende*r)
  • Wagner, K. (Vortragende*r)
  • Rainer Thell (Vortragende*r)

Aktivität: VorträgeVortragScience to Science

Beschreibung

Unfavourable changes in DNA damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation have been linked to viral infections, but there is limited
data on COVID-19 and DNA damage. This case-control study aimed to investigate whether hospitalised COVID-19 patients
(n=48) differ from healthy age- and sex-matched controls with respect to DNA damage, oxidative stress markers, unconjugated
bilirubin (UCB) and 92 different inflammatory markers. We analysed oxidative DNA damage by using formamidopyrimidine
DNA glycosylase (FPG) and by challenging whole blood samples with H2O2 using the Comet assay. UCB was analysed with
HPLC. An olink proteomics panel was used for inflammation assessment. The results regarding DNA damage revealed that
middle-aged COVID-19 patients (n=24, mean age 55.7 years) but not older COVID-19 patients (n=24, mean age 83.5 years)
showed a significant increase in DNA damage (%DNA in tail, p<0.05) after formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (FPG)
treatment. Unexpectedly, markers of oxidative stress remained unchanged (FRAPmalondialdehyde) compared to healthy controls.
COVID-19 patients had significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein and 55 different inflammatory proteins (p<0.001) in the
serum. Interestingly, UCB levels were significantly reduced in COVID-19 patients, especially in middle-aged COVID-19 patients
(p<0.05), compared to healthy controls. These results indicate that middle-aged hospitalised COVID-19 patients exhibit higher
levels of DNA damage, which might be caused by changes in inflammatory pathways rather than oxidative stress.

[1] Draxler et al. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2023.102914
Zeitraum23 Sept. 202427 Sept. 2024
Ereignistitel52nd European Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EEMGS) & 15th International Comet Assay Workshops (ICAW) meeting
VeranstaltungstypKonferenz
OrtRovinj, KroatienAuf Karte anzeigen
BekanntheitsgradInternational

Schlagwörter

  • COVID-19
  • DNA damage
  • Comet Assay
  • viral infections
  • SARS-COV-2