Food and COVID-19: Preventive/Co-therapeutic Strategies Explored by Current Clinical Trials and in Silico Studies

Abstract

Foods, food ingredients, and their balanced consumption are recognized to have an important role in achieving or maintaining a state of wellbeing by acting as carriers of functional components and bioactive molecules. However, the potential contribution of foods to consumers’ health has so far only been partially exploited. The rapidly evolving scenario of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is stimulating profound reflection on the relationships between food and the etiological agent, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, the status of knowledge regarding food as a possible defense/co-therapeutic strategy against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is considered through the discussion of two main current lines of research. One line of research relates to the role of micronutrients, food components, and diets in the strengthening of the immune system through clinical trials; formulations could be developed as immune system enhancers or as co-adjuvants in therapies. The other line of research relates to investigation of the chemical interactions that specific food compounds can have with host or virus targets so as to interfere with the viral infective cycle of SARS-CoV-2. This line requires, as a first step, an in silico evaluation to discover lead compounds, which may be further developed through drug-design studies, in vitro and in vivo tests, and, finally, clinical trials to obtain therapeutic molecules. All of these promising strategies promote the role of food in preventive/co-therapeutic strategies to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mediterranean Diet for the Prevention of Gestational Diabetes in the Covid-19 Era: Implications of Il-6 In Diabesity

“…Dietary fats induce dysbiosis and may increase intestinal permeability, inducing endotoxemia and chronic low-grade inflammation [ 192 ], whereas polyphenols modulate microbiota composition [ 186 ]. Although antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2 (related to virus entry into the cells) have been reported in vitro for some bioactive phytochemicals ( Figure 1 ), including the hesperidin [ 193 , 194 ], quercetin [ 194 , 195 ], kaempferol [ 194 ], catechins [ 194 , 196 ], baicalin [ 197 ], curcumin [ 194 ] and resveratrol [ 194 ], their availability in humans is low [ 198 ]. Only 5–10% of dietary polyphenols can be absorbed and they undergo to microbial metabolism in the colon [ 188 ].…”

A Review on Plant Bioactive Compounds and Their Modes of Action Against Coronavirus Infection

“…Evidently, in 2003, patients who suffered from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and received Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment were reported to have short-term hospitalization (inpatient care), reduced steroid-related side effects, and improvement from the viral symptoms ( World Health Organization, 2004 ). Thus, most previous publications including review papers have mainly focused on the use of TCM and other ethnobotanical herbs ( Dudani and Saraogi, 2020 ; Khanna et al, 2020 ; Ling, 2020 ; Vellingiri et al, 2020 ) or the use of drugs and other dietary supplements that are currently in clinical trials ( Di Matteo et al, 2020 ; Kumar et al, 2020 ; Stahlmann and Lode, 2020 ). This may not cover most, if not all, potential plant species or extracts available globally.…”

“…extract could exhibit immunostimulatory effect which may aid to suppress the coronavirus infection. Various other studies have also shown that diets including micronutrients such as vitamin C and D have the potential to prevent or treat COVID-19 by fortifying immune system, some of which have entered clinical trial phase ( Di Matteo et al, 2020 ).…”

“…which is quercetin ( Figure 1 ) also significantly inhibit MHV activity with IC 50 of 125 μg/ml ( Table 1 ) ( Chiow et al, 2016 ). Interestingly, quercetin is currently being tested in a clinical trial due to its strong antioxidant and prophylactic effect against COVID-19 ( Di Matteo et al, 2020 ). Although these evidence suggest the use of these plant extracts for anti-coronaviral treatments, more in-depth studies are needed to elucidate their exact mechanism in targeting the viral infection.…”

Network machine learning maps phytochemically-rich “Hyperfoods” to fight COVID-19

“…In the absence of effective curative treatments and validated vaccines, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions. Combining conventional medical treatments with nutritional interventions represents one such solution, which is gaining traction [2,3]. Considerable recent efforts have been directed towards identifying new purposes, or alternative uses, for existing drugs (so-called "drug repurposing") [4,5].…”