Gut-Lung Axis in COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19 is a pandemic infection of the respiratory system caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) was found in many parts of the COVID-19 patients including the stool, suggesting a potential interaction with the host’s gut microbiome. The gut microbiome also plays major roles in immunity and inflammation. It also impacts pulmonary functions through the gut-lung axis. There have been recent reports of the importance of the host microbiome in infection and pathogenicity. The understanding of the gut and lung microbiomes would open the gate to new therapeutic approaches.

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

“… Authors Country Type of document Supplement Outcomes of interest Ailioaie and Litscher (2021) Austria and Romania Review Probiotic Probiotics might have the capacity to modulate the action of cytokine storm, an exacerbated immune response in COVID-19 patients Akatsu (2021) Japan Review Probiotic Prebiotic Postbiotic Modulation of the intestinal microbiota with probiotics, prebiotics or postbiotics is a viable manner to improve the effects of vaccination in older people It could improve immune responses, including sustainable activities of natural killer cells and antibodies, in addition to preventing the process of dysbiosis Akour (2020) Jordan Review Probiotic Prebiotic Consumption of prebiotics and probiotics as modulating agents of the intestinal microbiota may offer a new and economical methodology to reduce the risk of viral infections The antiviral and anti-inflammatory effect of the use of probiotics can potentially collaborate, at least partly or in conjunction with other medications to prevent and/or relieve the symptoms of COVID-19. Allali et al (2021) Morocco Review Probiotic The administration of probiotics, as a new therapeutic approach, to balance the composition of the intestinal microbiota can favor the intestine-lung axis towards a more diverse microbiome could favor the immune system and regulate inflammation, which is one of the main COVID-19 symptoms Antunes et al (2020) Argentina and Brazil Review Probiotic Prebiotic Synbiotic ...…”

“…The lung microbiota is less studied than the gut microbiota. It is known that to be a dynamic and transient ecosystem with microorganisms belonging to this niche coming mostly from the mouth, inhaled air and the digestive tract due to microaspiration ( Allali, Bakri, Amzazi, & Ghazal, 2021 ). Respiratory inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2 is able to cause local dysbiosis and allows translocation of microbial metabolites and toxins to the gut and other organs, as long as antibiotics and antivirals used for the COVID-19 treatment could also result in further intestinal microbiota imbalance ( Conte & Toraldo, 2020 ; Santacroce et al, 2021 ).…”

Interactions between the Gut Microbiome, Lung Conditions, and Coronary Heart Disease and How Probiotics Affect These

“…Many of the symptoms related to COVID-19 are due to an overactive immune response, resulting in a potentially lethal cytokine storm and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) [118]. Interestingly, bacteria associated with inflammation, such as Blautia and Ruminococcus species, were more abundant in the gut microbiota of symptomatic COVID-19 patients, as reviewed by others [119].…”

Leptin in the Respiratory Tract: Is There a Role in SARS-CoV-2 Infection?

“…Recent evidence supports a relevant role of gut-lung axis in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (Dickson et al, 2016), COVID-19 (Allali et al, 2021), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathogenesis (Lai et al, 2021). Several current studies are elucidating the mechanisms of how microbiota regulate lung inflammation and are providing useful information for considering the use of probiotic, prebiotic, and postbiotic therapies for lung disease, such as COVID-19 (Tsai et al, 2019;Gasmi et al, 2021).…”