COVID-19, cytokines, inflammation, and spices: How are they related?

Abstract

Background Cytokine storm is the exaggerated immune response often observed in viral infections. It is also intimately linked with the progression of COVID-19 disease as well as associated complications and mortality. Therefore, targeting the cytokine storm might help in reducing COVID-19-associated health complications. The number of COVID-associated deaths (as of January 15, 2021; https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ ) in the USA is high (1199/million) as compared to countries like India is low (110/million). Although the reason behind this is not clear, spices may have some role in explaining this difference. Spices and herbs are used in different traditional medicines, especially in countries such as India to treat various chronic diseases due to their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Aim To evaluate the literature available on the anti-inflammatory properties of some spices which might prove beneficial in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 associated cytokine storm. Method A detailed literature search has been conducted on PubMed for collecting information pertaining to the COVID-19; the history, origin, key structural features, and mechanism of infection of SARS-CoV-2; the repurposed drugs in use for the management of COVID-19 and the anti-inflammatory role of spices to combat COVID-19 associated cytokine storm. Key findings The literature search resulted in numerous in vitro , in vivo and clinical trials that have reported the potency of spices to exert anti-inflammatory effects by regulating crucial molecular targets for inflammation. Significance As spices are derived from Mother Nature and are inexpensive, they are relatively safer to consume. Therefore, their anti-inflammatory property can be exploited to combat the cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients. This review thus focuses on the current knowledge on the role of spices for the treatment of COVID-19 through suppression of inflammation-linked cytokine storm.

Forecasting of Oxidant/Antioxidant levels of COVID-19 patients by using Expert models with biomarkers used in the Diagnosis/Prognosis of COVID-19

“…It has been reported that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases [11] , [12] , [14] , [19] . Many studıes showed that the levels of parameters such as MDA, IL-1B and TNF-alpha associated with oxidative stress in various viral diseases were high compared to the control group while the levels of antioxidan parameters such as GSH, SOD, CAT and GSH-Px were low [24] , [25] . Because the measurement of antioxidant-oxidant parameters is a manual process, it is a costly and time consuming endeavor.…”

“…CRP, Ferritin and D-Dimer parameters among routine biochemistry parameters are especially used as determinants in the prognosis of in Covid 19 [1] . In many studies, it was stated that patients infected with COVID-19 started to increase in proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1β and oxidants such as lipid peroxidation, disulfide level and oxidative DNA damage [24] , [25] , [26] . In these studies, it was also stated that patients infected with COVID-19 started to decrease in antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total thiol, and native thiol [24] , [25] , [26] .…”

Prevalence of using herbs and natural products as a protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic among the Saudi population: an online cross-sectional survey

“…The pathophysiologic mechanisms of COVID-19 are not yet well understood. However, clinical studies have suggested that patients infected with COVID-19 often show increased levels in cytokines, termed ‘cytokine storm’ ( Lordan et al, 2021 , Kunnumakkara et al, 2021 ). This abnormal level of cytokines occurs together with severe deterioration of health in infected patients ( Ye et al, 2020 ).…”

Biomedical Effects of Popular Phytonutrients and Their Phytochemicals: A Comprehensive Review

“…In a very recent systematic review, Kunnumakkara et. al., explained the potential of curcumin and other spices against SARS-COV-2 due to their anti-inflammatory properties to inhibit the cytokine storm [70]. These findings suggest that turmeric extracts not only could be a potential treatment but also a prevention alternative for viral infections.…”