Lipid Metabolism Modifications in SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is the reason of the COVID-19 pandemic that has infected over a hundred million people globally. There have been more than two million deaths recorded worldwide, with no end in sight until a widespread vaccination will be attained. Current research has centred on different aspects of the virus interaction with cell surface receptors, but more needs to be done to further comprehend its mechanism of action in order to develop a targeted therapy and a method to control the spread of the virus. Lipids production a crucial role throughout the viral life cycle, and viruses are known to exploit lipid signalling and synthesis to move host cell lipidome. Emerging studies using untargeted metabolomic and lipidomic approaches are providing new insight into the host response to COVID-19 infection. Indeed, metabolomic and lipidomic methods have identified numerous circulating lipids that directly correlate to the severity of the disease, making lipid metabolism a potential therapeutic target. Circulating lipids play a key function in the pathogenesis of the virus and exert an inflammatory response. A better knowledge of lipid metabolism in the host-pathogen interaction will provide valuable insights into viral pathogenesis and to the development of novel therapeutic targets.