Intestinal microbes may increase the risk of thrombosis in patients with COVID-19 – scientists – News

Intestinal microbes 2MBC (2-methylbutyrylcarnitines), which are associated with metabolism, can influence the exacerbation of thrombosis.

This is stated in a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

The results also showed that 2MBC accumulates in individuals with COVID-19. This potentially explains why these patients have an increased risk of blood clots, writes Medical Xpress.

“Our research provides insight into 2MBC as a metabolite (substance formed in cells, tissues and organs of living organisms in the process of intermediate metabolism – ed.) that links intestinal microbiota dysbacteriosis (a condition in which the balance of beneficial and harmful microorganisms in the body is disturbed human – ed.) with increased thrombotic risk“, says senior study author Sifang Chen of Sun Yat-sen University.

Thrombosis is a leading cause of death and disability associated with cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes.

COVID-19 and intestinal disorders may lead to increased thrombotic risk, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood, the researchers said.

Numerous studies have demonstrated a connection between intestinal microbiota dysbacteriosis and an increased risk of thrombosis.

Previous studies, according to scientists, have shown that metabolites from the intestinal microbiota (intestinal flora, which is a set of bacteria that live and develop in the intestine) can increase the activity of platelets, blood components that are involved in the formation of blood clots.

Researchers identified 2MBC as contributing to increased thrombotic risk.

2MBC belongs to a class of compounds that have previously been associated with numerous metabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (an inflammatory process in the liver that is accompanied by fatty dystrophy), and hypertension.

The researchers found that 2MBC microbes accumulate in both patients with COVID-19 and patients with cardiovascular disease. In addition, the elevated level of 2MBC in patients with COVID-19 does not decrease even after the body is completely cleared of the virus.

In a study conducted on mice, the scientists found that 2MBC caused hyperreactivity of platelets and thrombus formation in them.

The authors claim that the obtained data will help establish a previously unknown factor that is the driving force behind the occurrence of thrombosis in metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.

We will remind, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists claimed that the symptoms of the disease can appear within 7-10 days after infection. However, according to the results of new research, the incubation period has now been significantly reduced – to 3-4 days, depending on the strain of the coronavirus.