Integrative Multidimensional Profiling of Individuals Recovered from Mild COVID-19 Reveals Immune–Metabolic–Oxidative Network Interactions
Authors:
- Iole MacchiaIMIole Macchia
- Valentina La SorsaVSValentina La Sorsa
- Francesca MarconFMFrancesca Marcon
- Cristina AndreoliCristina Andreoli
- Alessandro GiulianiAlessandro Giuliani
- Donatella PietraforteDonatella Pietraforte
- Maria Cristina QuattriniMQMaria Cristina Quattrini
- Egidio IorioEgidio Iorio
- Mattea ChiricoMCMattea Chirico
- Maria Elena PisanuMPMaria Elena Pisanu
- Enrica MontefioreEMEnrica Montefiore
- Francesca LucianiFLFrancesca Luciani
Open Access
- 22 July 2026
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Vol. 27 (14) , 6518
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need to better characterize immune and molecular responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. Beyond antibody and cellular immunity, COVID-19 involves oxidative stress and DNA damage, affecting repair mechanisms and metabolic adaptation linked to immune resilience. Here, we present a multidimensional analysis of 20 individuals who recovered from mild COVID-19, integrating clinical features with humoral and cellular immune responses, T cell and myeloid phenotypes, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and metabolomic and lipidomic profiles. Although most individual parameters fell within physiological ranges, network modeling revealed structured associations spanning multiple biological domains. A central finding was a coherent cluster organized around vaccine dose number, linking anti-Spike antibody titers, oxidative stress, bioenergetic signatures, and granulocyte activation. Higher vaccination was associated with stronger humoral responses, lower oxidative stress, and a more balanced myeloid–metabolic profile, suggesting a potential protective role extending beyond antibody induction. Additional associations linked symptom patterns to T cell differentiation states, anti-nucleocapsid responses to systemic inflammation, and anaerobic signatures to DNA damage markers, revealing interconnections between immunometabolism, clinical expression, and genomic stress. Despite the small sample size, these findings offer a preliminary systems-level perspective on mild COVID-19 recovery and illustrate the value of integrative exploratory frameworks in infectious disease research, laying the groundwork for validation in larger longitudinal cohorts.Keywords
Funding Information
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS/DON12/2021)
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