Abstract:Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has grown to a worldwide pandemic with substantial mortality. The symptoms of COVID-19 range from mild flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever, to life threatening complications. There are still quite a number of patients with COVID-19 showed enteric symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The gastrointestinal tract may be one of the target organs of SARS-CoV-… Show more
“…The main receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus is an angiotensin that converts enzyme 2 (ACE2), which also plays an important role in regulating intestinal amino acid transport, expression of antimicrobial peptides and in preventing intestinal dysbiosis [ 104 ]. ACE2 may also affect the intestinal barrier by modifying calcium flow [ 105 ].…”
Section: Intestinal Infections and Antibiotic Therapymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The correlation of these changes was presented alongside an increase in the concentration of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase [ 110 ]. Therefore, some authors believe that probiotic therapy, intestinal flora transplantation or probiotic herbal medicine can support COVID-19 therapy and prevent secondary bacterial infections [ 100 , 104 , 111 ].…”
Section: Intestinal Infections and Antibiotic Therapymentioning
The intestinal barrier plays an extremely important role in maintaining the immune homeostasis of the gut and the entire body. It is made up of an intricate system of cells, mucus and intestinal microbiota. A complex system of proteins allows the selective permeability of elements that are safe and necessary for the proper nutrition of the body. Disturbances in the tightness of this barrier result in the penetration of toxins and other harmful antigens into the system. Such events lead to various digestive tract dysfunctions, systemic infections, food intolerances and autoimmune diseases. Pathogenic and probiotic bacteria, and the compounds they secrete, undoubtedly affect the properties of the intestinal barrier. The discovery of zonulin, a protein with tight junction regulatory activity in the epithelia, sheds new light on the understanding of the role of the gut barrier in promoting health, as well as the formation of diseases. Coincidentally, there is an increasing number of reports on treatment methods that target gut microbiota, which suggests that the prevention of gut-barrier defects may be a viable approach for improving the condition of COVID-19 patients. Various bacteria–intestinal barrier interactions are the subject of this review, aiming to show the current state of knowledge on this topic and its potential therapeutic applications.
“…The main receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus is an angiotensin that converts enzyme 2 (ACE2), which also plays an important role in regulating intestinal amino acid transport, expression of antimicrobial peptides and in preventing intestinal dysbiosis [ 104 ]. ACE2 may also affect the intestinal barrier by modifying calcium flow [ 105 ].…”
Section: Intestinal Infections and Antibiotic Therapymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The correlation of these changes was presented alongside an increase in the concentration of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase [ 110 ]. Therefore, some authors believe that probiotic therapy, intestinal flora transplantation or probiotic herbal medicine can support COVID-19 therapy and prevent secondary bacterial infections [ 100 , 104 , 111 ].…”
Section: Intestinal Infections and Antibiotic Therapymentioning
The intestinal barrier plays an extremely important role in maintaining the immune homeostasis of the gut and the entire body. It is made up of an intricate system of cells, mucus and intestinal microbiota. A complex system of proteins allows the selective permeability of elements that are safe and necessary for the proper nutrition of the body. Disturbances in the tightness of this barrier result in the penetration of toxins and other harmful antigens into the system. Such events lead to various digestive tract dysfunctions, systemic infections, food intolerances and autoimmune diseases. Pathogenic and probiotic bacteria, and the compounds they secrete, undoubtedly affect the properties of the intestinal barrier. The discovery of zonulin, a protein with tight junction regulatory activity in the epithelia, sheds new light on the understanding of the role of the gut barrier in promoting health, as well as the formation of diseases. Coincidentally, there is an increasing number of reports on treatment methods that target gut microbiota, which suggests that the prevention of gut-barrier defects may be a viable approach for improving the condition of COVID-19 patients. Various bacteria–intestinal barrier interactions are the subject of this review, aiming to show the current state of knowledge on this topic and its potential therapeutic applications.
“…The latest researches have shown that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the progression of COVID-19, and that gut microbiota imbalance and endotoxemia may accelerate the progression of COVID-19 ( Gou et al., 2020 ). Many TCMs can support virus-affected body organs and systems, restore the structure of the gut flora, and exhibit properties relevant to COVID-19 treatment ( Chen et al., 2021 ). In-depth exploration of the interaction mechanism between TCM and intestinal flora may provide new research directions and therapeutic targets for diseases including the COVID-19.…”
Section: Interaction Mechanism Of Tcm and Intestinal Floramentioning
The effect of a drug on the intestinal flora and the intestinal barrier is an important evaluation index for drug safety and efficacy. Chemical synthetic drugs are widely used due to their advantages of fast efficacy and low doses, but they are prone to cause drug resistance and inhibit proton pumps, which may harm intestinal health. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been applied clinically for thousands of years, and how TCMs regulate intestinal health to achieve their effects of disease treatment has become a hot research topic that needs to be resolved. This paper reviews the recent research on the effects of TCMs on intestinal microorganisms and the intestinal mucosal barrier after entering the intestine, discusses the interaction mechanisms between TCMs and intestinal flora, and details the repair effect of TCMs on the intestinal mucosal barrier to provide a reference for the development, utilization, and modernization of TCM.
“…Medicinal plants that have supportive roles in immune stimulation and maintenance of a balanced gut microbiome may be effective strategies for the management of COVID-19 [ 35 ] as a healthy gut microbiota is essential for a strong antiviral immunity [ 8 ]. However, plant-based ethnomedicines are mostly ingested orally, and the efficacy of medicinal plants is regulated by the role of GM or GM-derived metabolites [ 105 , 118 ].…”
Section: Main Textmentioning
confidence: 99%
“… Fig. 2 Summary of possible ways in which herbal medicines can affect the prognosis of COVID-19 by regulating the intestinal flora (adapted from Chen et al [ 35 ]) …”
Background
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, ethnomedicinal plants have been used in diverse geographical locations for their purported prophylactic and pharmacological effects. Medicinal plants have been relied on by people around the globe for centuries, as 80% of the world’s population rely on herbal medicines for some aspect of their primary health care needs, according to the World Health Organization.
Main body
This review portrays advances in traditional phytomedicine by bridging the knowledge of ethno-phytomedicine and COVID-19 healthcare. Ethnomedicinal plants have been used for symptoms related to COVID-19 as antiviral, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antipyretic, and lung–gut immune boosters. Traditionally used medicinal plants have the ability to inhibit virus entry and viral assembly, bind to spike proteins, membrane proteins, and block viral replications and enzymes. The efficacy of traditional medicinal plants in the terms of COVID-19 management can be evaluated by in vitro, in vivo as well as different in silico techniques (molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, machine learning, etc.) which have been applied extensively to the quest and design of effective biotherapeutics rapidly. Other advances in traditional phytomedicines against COVID-19 are controlled clinical trials, and notably the roles in the gut microbiome. Targeting the gut microbiome via medicinal plants as prebiotics is also found to be an alternative and potential strategy in the search for a COVID-19 combat strategy.
Conclusions
Since medicinal plants are the sources of modern biotherapeutics development, it is essential to build collaborations among ethnobotanists, scientists, and technologists toward developing the most efficient and the safest adjuvant therapeutics against the pandemic of the twenty-first century, COVID-19.
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