Análisis metabólico del suero de niños infectados por el virus del dengue para la detección de potenciales Biomarcadores endógenos

Abstract

Dengue fever (DF) is a major viral disease of global concern, characterized by heterogeneous clinical manifestations that hinder early diagnosis and the development of specific treatments. Exploratory metabolomics has provided key insights into metabolomic profiles, particularly lipids, and their potential in dengue diagnostics. In this study we analyzed serum samples from children and adolescents with dengue (n=25) and controls (n=15) using mass spectrometry on two platforms: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The data was analyzed by multivariate statistics, using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), that revealed a separation trend between groups and identified a panel of lipids with potential as biomarkers. By performing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, we identified metabolites that achieved up to 80% sensitivity individually, increasing to 96% when modeled together. These findings provide new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of dengue in pediatric populations and highlight the potential of lipids as diagnostic tools. Keywords: metabolomics, biomarker discovery, dengue, lipidomics.