OXALOACETATE

What is oxaloacetate? 

Oxaloacetate is a substance found in every cell in our bodies and is crucial for metabolism, cellular function, and energy production and use. It also helps meet glucose needs in the brain and, potentially, the cerebellum, giving it a potential role in cognition and mood [^[1]]. Oxaloacetate also affects cellular metabolism in several biochemical reactions [^[2]]. For example, oxaloacetate gives rise to the amino acid aspartate, which acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Oxaloacetate also serves as a precursor for glucose production in the liver [^[3]].

What does oxaloacetate do in the body?

Oxaloacetate plays a variety of roles in the body. An animal study showed that oxaloacetate played different roles, including improving the insulin pathway, reducing inflammation, and stimulating neurogenesis, which is the growth of new brain cells [^[4]].

How can oxaloacetate help alleviate certain Long COVID symptoms and pathophysiology? 

Oxaloacetate has been shown to reduce fatigue associated with Long COVID [^[5]]. In one study of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID patients, both patient groups experienced a reduction in fatigue after six weeks of treatment with oxaloacetate [^[6]]. Because fatigue is a major feature of Long COVID and ME/CFS, which can develop from Long COVID, oxaloacetate can be of import to these sufferers of chronic illness [^[7]].

Oxaloacetate’s neuroprotective and anti-ischemic effects may also be relevant for Long COVID patients, who are at greater risk for brain inflammation and stroke. Oxaloacetate’s neuroprotective capability stems from its ability to reduce levels of glutamate in the brain and blood. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that can be toxic to brain cells at high levels, causing neuronal death and debris that can contribute to a stroke in the brain. Therefore, oxaloacetate’s glutamate-regulating capacities may help prevent ischemic stroke in Long COVID patients, who are at greater risk of ischemic events than non-Long COVID patients [^[8]].