The latest research from Professor Liu Yuan's team at the College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, has been published in Developmental Cell.

The study, Impaired VLCFA-peroxisome-mediated intestinal epithelial repair causes gastrointestinal sequelae of long COVID, is the first to reveal how viral infections disrupt very long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA) metabolism and peroxisome function, inhibiting intestinal stem cell repair and causing gastrointestinal sequelae such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The researchers discovered that the viral spike protein interacts with key lipid metabolism regulators, including fatty acid transport proteins (FATP) and fatty acid-binding proteins (FABP).

This interaction disrupts VLCFA metabolism, inhibiting the critical PPAR signaling pathway and peroxisome biogenesis.

The study provides a mechanistic explanation for the causes of intestinal sequelae and suggests new directions for clinical intervention, where effective treatments are currently lacking.