{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,3]],"date-time":"2025-11-03T23:04:32Z","timestamp":1762211072296,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,10]],"date-time":"2025-03-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1741564800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Piano Riparti Piemonte\u201d, Azione n. 173 \u201cIN-FRA-P. Realizzazione, rafforzamento e ampliamento Infrastrutture di ricerca pubbliche\u2013bando\u201d INFRA-P2-TECHNOMED-HUB","award":["378\u201348 to AC"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["378\u201348 to AC"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated the search for effective preventive and therapeutic agents. In recent years, many studies have considered the effects of different nutrients. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum monolaurin levels and the risk of developing COVID-19 among healthcare workers. In this prospective observational cohort study, 2712 healthcare workers from the University Hospital \u201cMaggiore della Carit\u00e0\u201d in Novara, Italy were enrolled. Participants underwent blood sampling and were followed up for six months to evaluate the protective role of serum monolaurin against COVID-19 infection. Monolaurin levels were quantified using targeted metabolomic analysis. The study cohort consisted of 1000 individuals with a mean age of 46.4 years, predominantly female. Higher serum monolaurin concentrations were significantly associated with a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection at both 3- and 6-month follow-ups. The optimal cut-off value for serum monolaurin, which provides protective efficacy, was identified as 0.45 \u00b5g\/mL. Higher serum monolaurin levels appear to be associated with a reduced risk of COVID-19, suggesting its potential as a protective dietary supplement against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting the role of dietary factors in the management and prevention of infectious diseases and highlights the potential of targeted metabolomics in identifying prophylactic biomarkers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms26062452","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,10]],"date-time":"2025-03-10T06:59:59Z","timestamp":1741589999000},"page":"2452","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Higher Serum Monolaurin Is Associated with a Lower Risk of COVID-19: Results from a Prospective Observational Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Daniele","family":"Sola","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Laboratory of Metabolic Research, S. Giuseppe Hospital, Piancavallo, 28824 Oggebbio, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0836-0890","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stelvio","family":"Tonello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1420-4058","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe Francesco","family":"Casciaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and COVID-19 Unit, AOU \u201cMaggiore della Carit\u00e0\u201d, Via Mazzini 18, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9615-2452","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eleonora","family":"Rizzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and COVID-19 Unit, AOU \u201cMaggiore della Carit\u00e0\u201d, Via Mazzini 18, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3196-940X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"D\u2019Onghia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"},{"name":"Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9740-0155","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mario","family":"Pirisi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and COVID-19 Unit, AOU \u201cMaggiore della Carit\u00e0\u201d, Via Mazzini 18, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesca","family":"Caldera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and COVID-19 Unit, AOU \u201cMaggiore della Carit\u00e0\u201d, Via Mazzini 18, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6174-7111","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuela","family":"Rizzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2277-3226","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Donato","family":"Colangelo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences (Department of Excellence 2023\u20132027), Pharmacology, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicoletta","family":"Del Duca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Laboratory of Metabolic Research, S. 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Giuseppe Hospital, Piancavallo, 28824 Oggebbio, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Universit\u00e0 di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elia","family":"Amede","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Denise","family":"Marradi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elettra","family":"Barberis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Science and Technological Innovation, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 15121 Alessandria, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Annalisa","family":"Chiocchetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0632-5618","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcello","family":"Manfredi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8322-9158","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pier Paolo","family":"Sainaghi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Universit\u00e0 del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and COVID-19 Unit, AOU \u201cMaggiore della Carit\u00e0\u201d, Via Mazzini 18, 28100 Novara, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.1159\/000507423","article-title":"COVID-19 Outbreak: An Overview","volume":"64","author":"Ciotti","year":"2020","journal-title":"Chemotherapy"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e13","DOI":"10.4110\/in.2023.23.e13","article-title":"COVID-19 Therapeutics: An Update on Effective Treatments Against Infection With SARS-CoV-2 Variants","volume":"23","author":"Padasas","year":"2023","journal-title":"Immune Netw."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e222462","DOI":"10.1148\/radiol.222462","article-title":"Current and Emerging Knowledge in COVID-19","volume":"306","author":"Jeong","year":"2023","journal-title":"Radiology"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, Y., Jin, Y., and Yang, H. 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