Quality analysis of LDL in patients during and after SARCOVID-2 infection

• Grant number: 22/10121-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Physics of Fluids, Plasma Physics and Electrical Discharge
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Martins Figueiredo Neto
• Grantee: Angela Rocio Nino Santisteban
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/24531-3 - Structural and biophysics properties of native and modified lipoproteins, AP.TEM

Abstract

The emergence of SARS-Cov-2 infection is of great concern worldwide due to its high transmissibility and ability to mutate, in addition to the sequelae after recovery are still understood. Despite this, it is known that SARS-Cov-2 is associated with an exacerbation of the immune system, aggravating the clinical picture of patients, especially those with pre-existing diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart and respiratory diseases. Since lipoproteins influence the inflammatory response of the body, associated with the worsening of the new coronavirus infection, as well as dysfunction of the immune system that leads to oxidation in LDLs, inducing changes in the lipid profile of infected patients. As a result, there is the possibility of the emergence of sequelae and other long-term diseases, associated with changes in lipoproteins during infection, after the patient's recovery.Lipoproteins are biological structures essential for metabolism. These structures, with typical dimensions of tens of nanometers, have several biological functions, one of the main ones being the transport of cholesterol, which is insoluble in an aqueous medium, into the circulatory system. The quantification of LDL is used as an indicator of the individual's health. Furthermore, it is known that LDL oxidation is related to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques which, in turn, can lead to heart disease.This study aims to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on LDL, highlighting possible changes in the lipid profile of patients, after their recovery, that may be a source of long-term sequelae, mainly due to lipoprotein oxidation products. From the collection of data and biological samples from the cohort that attends the Universitary Hospital of São Paulo, we intend to analyze and characterize the LDLs of recovered individuals, using the Z-Scan a non-linear optics method.