Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, many researchers have dedicated themselves to studying and understanding how the virus works and how it could be attacked. A recent publication has shown that there is an inverse correlation between the degree of severity of COVID-19 and the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and cholesterol. This is because the regulation of cholesterol and plasma lipoproteins play an important role in cellular functions and is also associated with viral infections since some viruses can manipulate the lipids found in the membrane to facilitate their entry into the membrane cell. We humans have complex lipoprotein profiles that differ between individuals with high cholesterol and triglyceride content compared to those individuals who are healthy.<br/>We performed neutron reflection experiments at the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL), to follow the interaction of the Spike protein and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) from health patients at model cellular membranes. The experiments consisted of incubating lipid membrane bilayers with either: The SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, HDL, and a mixture of HDL and SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein at the same concentration. In these experiments, we investigate whether 1) the Spike protein binds to cholesterol-containing model cell membranes made of saturated lipids, and 2) lipid exchange by HDL is affected by coincubation with Spike protein. The results suggest that the spike protein alters the process of exchanging HDL lipids with the lipid bilayer.<br/>The results found open the possibilities for future research of the interactions with lipoproteins purified from patients with well-defined clinical conditions including individuals having suffered from Covid-19 showing different degrees of severity.

COVID 19 symptoms severity is inversely correlated with serum cholesterol levels. Is this related to impaired function of HDL due to binding to the SARS-Cov 2 Spike protein?

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.