Gut Dysbiosis during COVID-19 and Potential Effect of Probiotics

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an RNA virus of the family Coronaviridae, causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an influenza-like disease that chiefly infects the lungs through respiratory transmission. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, a transmembrane protein in its outer portion, targets angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the binding receptor for the cell entry. As ACE2 is highly expressed in the gut and pulmonary tissues, SARS-CoV-2 infections frequently result in gastrointestinal inflammation, with presentations ordinarily ranging from intestinal cramps to complications with intestinal perforations. However, the evidence detailing successful therapy for gastrointestinal involvement in COVID-19 patients is currently limited. A significant change in fecal microbiomes, namely dysbiosis, was characterized by the enrichment of opportunistic pathogens and the depletion of beneficial commensals and their crucial association to COVID-19 severity has been evidenced. Oral probiotics had been evidenced to improve gut health in achieving homeostasis by exhibiting their antiviral effects via the gut–lung axis. Although numerous commercial probiotics have been effective against coronavirus, their efficacies in treating COVID-19 patients remain debated. In ClinicalTrials.gov, 19 clinical trials regarding the dietary supplement of probiotics, in terms of Lactobacillus and mixtures of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus, for treating COVID-19 cases are ongoing. Accordingly, the preventive or therapeutic role of probiotics for COVID-19 patients can be elucidated in the near future.

Intestinal Microbiota Composition of Children with Infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C)

“…[17] Geographical and demographic differences have been observed in previous studies on the recovery of microbiota composition after COVID-19. [32] Our study is the rst to be conducted in children with MIS-C, and the fact that both alpha and beta diversity indicators and their relative abundance were different in the MIS-C cases compared with the healthy controls supported that microbiota composition changed in the MIS-C group.…”

Evidences and perspectives of the use of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics as adjuvants for prevention and treatment of COVID-19: A bibliometric analysis and systematic review

“…The SARS CoV-2 replication dependents in mildly alkaline pH, so the kefir may hamper the activity of this pathogenic viral Harper et al (2021) United Kingdom, Finland, United States, France, Spain, Canada, and India Review Probiotic Probiotics could avoid the microbiota disorders noted in some cases of COVID-19 by prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria and/or facilitating the recovery of beneficial microorganisms Probiotics could increase immune system activity through crosstalk with immune cells and/or strengthening the gut barrier Hegazy et al (2021) Egypt Original Probiotic Prebiotic Modulation of the intestinal microbiome may have contributed to reduce the severity of COVID-19 Hu et al (2021) China Review Probiotic Prebiotic Synbiotic Microbiota disturbance is observed in cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections and it may be associated with disease severity Dietary interventions, including probiotics or selected prebiotics during COVID-19 pandemic could positively impact host immune functions during SARS-CoV-2 infection, strengthening the intestinal barrier and pro-inflammatory states Identify bacterial species and prebiotics, or a combination that can boost the immune activity, and better understand the mechanisms related to the anti-viral immunity for SARS-CoV-2 infection are required. Hung, Lee, Lee, Tsai, and Ko (2021) Taiwan Review Probiotic Evidence demonstrates that the effect of supplementation with commercial probiotics in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 may have antiviral effects and reach homeostasis through the gut-lung axis Infusino et al (2020) Italy Review Probiotic The administration of probioti...…”

Patient Nutrition and Probiotic Therapy in COVID-19: What Do We Know in 2021?

“…The spike protein of the aforementioned virus targets ACE2 as the binding receptor for cell entry. Probiotics that are given orally provide antiviral effects through the gut-lung axis [35]. Gut microbiota may modulate the immunological activity of the lung through bacterial metabolites and bacterial lipopolysaccharides [36].…”

“…Recently, in 2021, it was shown that there is a link between the use of probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamin and vitamin D supplements, and reduce the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the case of women (this observation was not confirmed in men) [38]. Probiotics contribute to the restoration of gut microbiota balance and functional homeostasis and prevent the invasion of pathogenic microbes through, among others, increasing the secretion of mucins [35,[38][39][40]. Therefore, the aforementioned studies suggest that gut microbiota modification through the administration of probiotic strains appears to be much needed in COVID-19 patients.…”