Fruits as Boosters of the Immune System

Immunity is the major mechanism of host defence system against infectious and chronic diseases. The recent global concern of recent viral infection of SARS-CoV-19 has raised the demand of functional foods, nutraceuticals and fruits that can boost immunity. This will help in managing the overall physiological health and prevention of infectious and chronic diseases. Medicinal plants and fruits can help in boosting immunity through modulation of immune system and changing the types of immune response such as involvement of the induction, expression or amplification of the genes and proteins in inflammation and antioxidant system. The traditional medicine systems have used a wide variety of plants and fruits as supplement for immunomodulation including those for stimulation of immune system as well as immune compromisation deemed per se. Some of the plants that have been listed for immune boosting abilities included Curcuma longa, Withania somnifera, Phyllanthus emblica, Azadirachta indica, Panax ginseng, Rhododendron spiciferum, Caesalpinia bonducella, Tinospora cordifolia, Capparis zeylanica, Asparagus racemosus, Nelumbo nucifera, Arnica montana, Calendula officinalis, Echinacea purpurea and Euphorbia tirucalli. Reports indicate that a wide variety of phytochemicals like polysaccharide, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, lactones and glycoside have shown immunomodulatory properties under different pathophysiological conditions. Amongst the diverse chemical profile of plant extracts, polysaccharides are the water-soluble molecules that could activate immune responses when interacting directly with immune cells, while hydrophobic compounds like flavonoids such as quercetin and luteolin and terpenoids such as sesquiterpene lactones and curcumin showed potent immunomodulatory effects. Growing evidences suggest that phytochemicals from functional foods and fruits may be useful in maintaining the cytokine and chemokine balance, regulating oxidative status of cells, and targeting the specific cellular receptors as therapeutic targets. This chapter comprehensively enlists the plant resources with immune boosting abilities and explore their phytochemical characterization and molecular mechanism behind their protective effects. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

A Study To Understand Public Knowledge And Perception Towards Immunity Food Booster's Consumption During COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has brought a significant change in the lives of all population segments. Irrespective of the country, religion, economic status, and position worldwide, a committed thought is developed on "IMMUNITY" and "IMMUNITY BOOSTERS."The nutrition and health portfolio of many populations worldwide reported severe impacts from changing trends in modern lifestyle, food habits, food consumption, and the environment. Defining health remains a crucial task over several decades. The present study is to understand and evaluate the knowledge and purchasing behaviour of the population during COVID-19 time. A survey is conducted through social media platforms with pre-designed and tested questionnaires. Data were collected from 200 respondents. A rapid assessment survey was conducted using Google Forms. Google Form was distributed through various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and LinkedIn in Indian communities residing across the globe. The above data shows that 64% have consumed Vitamin C supplements almost every day for 15 days, 13% for one month, 10% of the respondents more than one month, and 13% took supplements as supplements per the doctor's advice. The results indicate that nearly 73% of the respondents started consuming supplements, 15% sometimes, and 4% of the respondents expressed their consumption was on and off. When questioned in detail, it is mentioned that they have taken supplements. The results depict buying behaviours, reading and understanding the food labels, purchasing supplements and immune boostersCopyright © 2023, Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences.All Rights Reserved.

Prebiotics, Probiotics and Nutraceuticals

The book titled ‘Prebiotics, Probiotics and Nutraceuticals' is expected to direct many emerging research pathwaysneed at local and global levels for nutrition and food supplements for developing immunity for healthy life. This volume incorporates sixteen seminal papers on issue based research and their practical applications covering latest information and progress on different area of nutritional supplement research fight against disease. The book highlights the frontier issues and applications in nutritional biotechnology with wide coverage of the themes like Potentiality of Probiotics in Inactivation of Tetrodotoxin, Therapeutic Strategy for the Deterrence of COVID-19 with Relevance to Probiotics and Prospectives of Prebiotics, Probiotics and Synbiotics for Sustainable Development in Aquaculture.Plant based Bioactive compounds in Cancer Therapeutics, Recent Trends in Natural Medicines and Nutraceuticals Research, Probiotics as efficacious therapeutic option for treating gut-related diseases: molecular and immune-biological perspectives, The progressive development of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics research, and its multipurpose use in the ornamental fishery, The commercial perspective of probiotics, and bioremediating components in aquaculture pond management: A Case Study andPrebiotics as promising therapeutics for treating gut-related disorders: Biochemical and Molecular Perspectives. Prebiotics and Probiotics as Functional Foods: Prospect and Promises in Metabolic Diseases, Implications of probiotics and prebiotics on immune functions. Recent Trends in Natural Medicines and Nutraceuticals Research, Nutraceuticals are alternative to modern medicines, Socio-Economic Study of Prospective of probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic for sustainable development of aquaculture in Indian Sunderban. This book will be very useful for the scholars, biotechnologists, agricultural scientists, nutritionist, medical doctors, researchers, teachers and students in the emerging field of biotechnology. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Natural therapeutics against SARS CoV2: the potentiality and challenges.

The incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic completely reoriented global socio-economic parameters and human civilization have experienced the worst situation in the recent past. The rapid mutation rates in viruses have continuously been creating emerging variants of concerns (VOCs) which devastated different parts of the world with subsequent waves of infection. Although, series of antiviral drugs and vaccines were formulated but cent percent effectiveness of these drugs is still awaited. Many of these drugs have different side effects which necessitate proper trial before release. Plants are the storehouse of antimicrobial metabolites which have also long been utilized as traditional medicines against different viral infections. Although, proper mechanism of action of these traditional medicines are unknown, they may be a potential source of effective anti-COVID drug for future implications. Advanced bioinformatic applications have opened up a new arena in predicting these repurposed drugs as a potential COVID mitigator. The present review summarizes brief accounts of the corona virus with their possible entry mechanism. This study also tries to classify different possible anti COVID-19 plant-derived metabolites based on their probable mode of action. This review will surely provide useful information on repurposed drugs to combat COVID-19 in this critical situation.

Analysis of antioxidant and hedonic acceptance of turmeric extract-enriched milk

Since COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increasing of people adopting a healthy lifestyle through health supplement and functional foods. This study aimed to develop turmeric milk which has high antioxidant activity that can be accepted by the community. The difference in the concentration of turmeric powder added (0.9%, 1.9%, and 2.8%) was carried out to determine the antioxidant activity by DPPH method and the curcumin level by HPLC method. Hedonic tests were used to evaluate the effect of turmeric powder into consumer acceptance. Results showed that the addition of turmeric is lowering the hedonic value. Turmeric milk with 2.8% turmeric powder had the highest levels of curcumin (53.95 mg/260 mL) and antioxidant activity (90.51%) but had the lowest acceptance rate (4.02) while turmeric milk with 0.9% of turmeric powder) had the lowest levels of curcumin (25.28 mg/260 mL) and antioxidant activity (81.76%) but had the highest acceptance rate (4.97). Turmeric milk with 1.9% was the most favourable due to overall value in the hedonic test is 4.58 and antioxidant activity of 86.61%.

Research and Development of a New Sustainable Functional Food under the Scope of Nutrivigilance

Background: The New Global Economy is represented by a series of major features, such as the use of green energy, the reduction of the carbon footprint in all industrial and civil fields, as well as finding alternative food resources. Our main objective was the research of a sustainable food product with a special nutritional purpose in the vision of nutrivigilance, developed in Romania, as an adjuvant in the repair of gastric mucosa. Methods: The materials used in the research and development of the new food are the following: inulin, lactoferrin, sericin, and sodium bicarbonate. The new adjuvant food product in the repair of the gastric mucosa was added to certain foods in order to prevent the patients from being satiated by a single food from a sensory point of view. The resulting food products were organoleptically and physico-chemically analyzed. Results: The new food is sustainable and has versatile uses. It can be hydrated with water, non-carbonated drinks, mixed with cottage cheese, or with fruit puree and oatmeal. It is stable under normal storage conditions and microbiologically safe. Conclusions: Through its versatile use, the new food product for special nutritional conditions represents a worldwide novelty. Through the development of forestry for the cultivation of white or black mulberry (Morus alba and Morus nigra), the raising of silkworms (Bombyx mori), the processing of fibroin to obtain natural silk and the processing of sericin resulting as a residue in the textile industry, the new food product developed actively contribute to the global economy II.

Purchase Behavior According to the Development of Sustainable Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) Rice Cake: For Korean Consumers

In recent years, the rice cake market has grown considerably in terms of research and development of products suitable for consumer needs and beneficial to health at the same time. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of consumers consuming antioxidant-rich foods and immunity-boosting foods to improve health and promote healthy eating habits has increased. Pistachio rice cakes have been tested and found to be high in polyphenols, which have good antioxidant activity and strengthen the immune system. Therefore, research was conducted on pistachio rice cakes to develop safe, health functional, and sustainable food. In order to maximize the sales potential of pistachio rice cakes, a survey was conducted among Korean adults to investigate perception of pistachio, pistachio rice cake purchasing behavior, and popularization plans. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between pistachio perception, pistachio rice cake purchasing behavior, and pistachio rice cake popularization measures, and they were found to have a close relationship. In addition, as a result of multiple regression analysis, perception and purchasing behavior of pistachio rice cake products were found to have a significant positive (+) effect on rice cake technology development, development of brand specializing in rice cakes, and cultivation of traditional rice cake experts. This study suggests that continuous research and development of food safety and sustainability of rice cakes are required, and it is expected to be utilized as basic data to form a research basis that can be a strategy for increasing sales in the rice cake industry.

Therapeutic and Dietary Support for Gastrointestinal Tract Using Kefir as a Nutraceutical Beverage: Dairy-Milk-Based or Plant-Sourced Kefir Probiotic Products for Vegan and Lactose-Intolerant Populations

Kefir is a fermented milk beverage different in consistency and taste from other popular milk-product yogurt. Unlike yogurt prepared using lactic acid bacteria in fermentation, milk is fermented for kefir production using preculture in the form of kefir grains. Therefore, the metabolic activities of a mixed culture, including strains of bacteria and yeast, contribute to the probiotic characteristics in kefir. This article is based on the review of published studies on the functionality and nutraceutical properties of kefir. The therapeutic and dietary properties of kefir beverage and its probiotic strains have been discussed for their several health benefits. Concise selected information mostly from recent reports has been presented for two categories of kefir products: milk used for the production of dairy-based traditional kefir beverages for the lactose-tolerant population, and the plant-sourced substrates used for the production of dairy-free kefir beverages for lactose-intolerant and vegan consumers.

Natural Functional Foods as a Part of the Mediterranean Lifestyle and Their Association with Psychological Resilience and Other Health-Related Parameters

Natural Functional Foods (NFFs) are unprocessed foods with proven health benefits beyond their nutritional value. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) and Mediterranean Lifestyle (MEDILIFE) are well known for their beneficial effects on health. Psychological Resilience (PsyR) is not only an important factor in human well-being;it is also regarded as a key indicator of mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between NFFs and the MD and MEDILIFE in Greece, as well as their association with PsyR and other health-related parameters. In a cross-sectional design, 338 healthy adults participated voluntarily in an online research survey. There was a statistically significant association between the consumption of NFFs grown and produced in the Mediterranean region and the MD and MEDILIFE (p < 0.001). When the MD and MEDILIFE associated NFFs scores were summed up to form a 10-item scale (NAFFAME), the NAFFAME had a statistically significant positive correlation with PsyR (p < 0.001) and sleep quality (p < 0.05) and a negative correlation with body mass index (p < 0.001). There was also a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the means of the NAFFAME score on different weight loss diet outcomes. Multinomial regression analysis identified the NAFFAME score as a prognostic factor in maintaining weight loss after a diet (OR: 1.119, 95% CI: 1.035, 1.208, p < 0.01 compared with no weight loss). This study identified NFFs as a part of the MD and MEDILIFE. NFFs linked to the MEDILIFE could help predict the outcome of a weight loss diet and appear to have a positive effect on PsyR, sleep quality, and maintaining a healthy weight. Thus, the consumption of NFFs grown and produced in the Mediterranean region could be a natural, healthy, and sustainable way of enhancing physical–mental health. Randomised controlled trials should be conducted to confirm the findings of this cross-sectional study.

Phytoestrogen and SARS-CoV-2

Disease management is a global challenge due to the immense scale of the microbiota and the lack of drugs and hospital resources. This paper aims to evaluate the hidden nutraceutical use of phytoestrogens (PEs), which have been scientifically shown to protect the host from various deadly diseases. In particular, coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, fatal for vulnerable individuals. Natural products that attenuate the severity caused by various coronaviruses will also be presented. Special attention will be given to the mechanism of action of PEs that stabilize the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which has been linked to the SARS-CoV-2 invasion of human cells. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Primary factors that determine the severity of various infections and effective nutraceutical intervention strategies

Current agricultural practices, food processing, and extensive availability of unhealthy "fast foods” impose a broad spectrum of degenerative disorders including bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal, and yeast infections, all of which became a leading cause of death. An infection is defined as "The invasion and growth of germs in the body.” Several of these germs are opportunistic anaerobic organisms, while their propagation and proliferation potentiate the anaerobic bio-environment alarmingly. An ideal therapeutic objective is to restore a healthier cellular "aerobic” metabolic environment. This chapter will extensively focus on three important infectious disorders (i) COVID-19 infection, (ii) Herpesvirus infection, and (iii) Candida albicans yeast infections. Disease etiology, mechanisms, and pathology will be extensively discussed. Prevention and the potential of therapeutic interventions by structurally diverse nutraceuticals, phytopharmaceuticals, probiotics, and micronutrients will be extensively reviewed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of nutraceuticals on immunomodulation against viral infections-A review during COVID-19 pandemic in Indian scenario.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan, China, in early December 2019 is a censorious global emergency after World War II. Research on the coronavirus uncovered essential information that aided in the development of the vaccine, and specific coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines were later developed and were approved for usage in humans. But then, mutations in the coronavirus gave rise to new variants and questioned the vaccine's efficacy against them. On the other hand, the investigation of traditional medicine was also on its path to find a novel outcome against COVID-19. On a comparative analysis between India and the United States, India had low death rate and high recovery rate than the latter. The dietary regulation of immunity may be the factor that makes the above difference. The immunity gained from the regular diet of Indian culture nourishes Indian people with essential phytochemicals that support immunity and metabolism. Dietary phytochemicals or nutraceuticals possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties, out of which our concern will be on immune-boosting phytochemicals from our daily nutritional supplements. In several case studies, dietary substance like lemon, ginger, and spinach was reported in the recovery of COVID-19 patients. Thus in this review, we discuss coronavirus and its available variants, vaccines, and the effect of nutraceuticals against the coronavirus. Further, we denote that the immunity of the Indian population may be high because of their diet, which adds natural phytochemicals to boost their immunity and metabolism.

Effects of l-Arginine Plus Vitamin C Supplementation on l-Arginine Metabolism in Adults with Long COVID: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Altered l-arginine metabolism has been described in patients with COVID-19 and has been associated with immune and vascular dysfunction. In the present investigation, we determined the serum concentrations of l-arginine, citrulline, ornithine, monomethyl-l-arginine (MMA), and symmetric and asymmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA, ADMA) in adults with long COVID at baseline and after 28-days of l-arginine plus vitamin C or placebo supplementation enrolled in a randomized clinical trial, compared with a group of adults without previous history of SARS-CoV-2-infection. l-arginine-derived markers of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability (i.e., l-arginine/ADMA, l-arginine/citrulline+ornithine, and l-arginine/ornithine) were also assayed. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were built to characterize systemic l-arginine metabolism and assess the effects of the supplementation. PLS-DA allowed discrimination of participants with long COVID from healthy controls with 80.2 ± 3.0% accuracy. Lower markers of NO bioavailability were found in participants with long COVID. After 28 days of l-arginine plus vitamin C supplementation, serum l-arginine concentrations and l-arginine/ADMA increased significantly compared with placebo. This supplement may therefore be proposed as a remedy to increase NO bioavailability in people with long COVID.

Emerging pharmacological interventions: A COVID- 19 perspective

The current COVID- 19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is believed to be due to zoonotic emergence. The infection leads to a variety of conditions, from mild discomfort to severe respiratory disorder requiring intensive care monitoring and at times even becoming life-threatening. The advent of multiple mutations led to variants wherein the severity and contagiousness of the disease have varied. In the initial days of the pandemic, supportive care measures such as providing oxygen for ventilation and using antivirals effective against various respiratory diseases were the pharmacological interventions used. Ongoing clinical trials are helping identify the most effective repurposed antiviral drug or a combination of such drugs to be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Researchers and healthcare personnel are putting in tremendous efforts to urgently identify prospective preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies on priority. Various research institutions and pharmaceutical companies put in intensive efforts and within a short duration, many vaccines were available that helped develop population immunity, thus preventing the severity of infection even when people got infected. Candidates for therapy include the use of: ( i) medicinal aromatic plant, or active phytoconstituents, individually or as a combination;(ii) nanotechnological tools to encapsulate the drugs/plant phytoconstituents;(iii) food fortification with the prepared nanoparticles, amongst some prospective strategies. As phytomedicine is gaining significance in holistic wellbeing, the research and development in the field of polyherbal have intensified. Combinational therapy is being propagated through promising results obtained by multiple researchers. In most studies, compounds used had proven potential via in vitro or in vivo studies against viruses similar to SARS- CoV-2. Further, the infection rates and the severity of the disease have been drastically reduced, with population immunity being developed due to the use of vaccines. An array of vaccines ranging from DNA, mRNA, sub-unit, viral vector and virus-like particles, are already in various stages of clinical trials, with over 12.3 billion doses being delivered globally. This is a review of scientific work conducted toward developing pharmacological interventions against COVID-19. The data represented provides a resource to researchers and healthcare providers to help control the infection and the pandemic.

Antiinflammatory Activities of Curcumin and Spirulina: Focus on Their Role against COVID-19.

Nutraceuticals have for several years aroused the interest of researchers for their countless properties, including the management of viral infections. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies and research on the antiviral properties of nutraceuticals have greatly increased. More specifically, over the past two years, researchers have focused on analyzing the possible role of nutraceuticals in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or mitigating the symptoms of COVID-19. Among nutraceuticals, turmeric, extracted from the rhizome of the Curcuma Longa plant, and spirulina, commercial name of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis, have assumed considerable importance in recent years. The purpose of this review is to collect, through a search of the most recent articles on Pubmed, the scientific evidence on the role of these two compounds in the fight against COVID-19. In the last two years many hypotheses, some confirmed by clinical and experimental studies, have been made on the possible use of turmeric against COVID-19, while on spirulina and its possible role against SARS-CoV-2 infection information is much less. The demonstrated antiviral properties of spirulina and the fact that these cyanobacteria may modulate or modify some mechanisms also involved in the onset of COVID-19, lead us to think that it may have the same importance as curcumin in fighting this disease and to speculate on the possible combined use of these two substances to obtain a synergistic effect.

Role of Dietary Flavonoids in Preventing COVID-19 Infection and Other Infectious Diseases: A Mini Review

Flavonoids are a large group of naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds that are almost universally present in various plant parts such as fruits, berries, leaves, and tubers. These compounds are synthesized in plants in reaction to environmental stressors such as microbial infections. The antioxidant properties in these flavonoids provide us with numerous health benefits. They can be extracted from said natural sources via methods such as maceration and boiling all the way to advanced methods such as microwaves and ultrasounds.Numerous studies have been conducted to research the protective role that flavonoids can play in preventing infectious diseases in humans. The present modalities of treating such infectious diseases rely solely on chemotherapeutic agents and adjunctive therapies such as palliative and supportive care. These chemotherapeutic agents, primarily antibiotics, cause a degeneration of our immunity and an increased susceptibly to several other diseases. Thus, it is crucial that our methods in dealing with infections focus on prevention. This can be achieved by strengthening our immune system, which is the primary line of defense against such diseases. Flavonoids can help boost our immunity, fight infections, and decrease the incidence of antibiotic resistance.Hence, these natural compounds are being largely studied and used as nutraceuticals to supplement our daily diet and successfully reduce the occurrence of major infectious diseases in our body. © 2022. The Author(s).

Encapsulation of Vitamins Using Nanoliposome: Recent Advances and Perspectives.

Nowadays the importance of vitamins is clear for everyone. However, many patients are suffering from insufficient intake of vitamins. Incomplete intake of different vitamins from food sources due to their destruction during food processing or decrease in their bioavailability when mixing with other food materials, are factors resulting in vitamin deficiency in the body. Therefore, various lipid based nanocarriers such as nanoliposomes were developed to increase the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Since the function of nanoliposomes containing vitamins on the body has a direct relationship with the quality of produced nanoliposomes, this review study was planned to investigate the several aspects of liposomal characteristics such as size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency on the quality of synthesized vitamin-loaded nanoliposomes.

Gastrointestinal microbiota: A predictor of COVID-19 severity?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, has raised serious concerns worldwide over the past 3 years. The severity and clinical course of COVID-19 depends on many factors (e.g., associated comorbidities, age, etc) and may have various clinical and imaging findings, which raises management concerns. Gut microbiota composition is known to influence respiratory disease, and respiratory viral infection can also influence gut microbiota. Gut and lung microbiota and their relationship (gut-lung axis) can act as modulators of inflammation. Modulating the intestinal microbiota, by improving its composition and diversity through nutraceutical agents, can have a positive impact in the prophylaxis/treatment of COVID-19.

Health-promoting foods and food crops of West-Africa origin: The bioactive compounds and immunomodulating potential.

The rural communities of the sub-Sahara regions in Africa are rich in diverse indigenous culinary knowledge and foods, food crops, and condiments such as roots/tubers, cereal, legumes/pulses, locust beans, and green leafy vegetables. These food crops are rich in micronutrients and phytochemicals, which have the potentials to address hidden hunger as well as promote health when consumed. Some examples of these are fermented foods such as ogi and plants such as Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf), Zingiber officinales (garlic), Hibiscus sabdariffa (Roselle), and condiments. Food crops from West Africa contain numerous bioactive substances such as saponins, alkaloids, tannins, phenolics, flavonoids, and monoterpenoid chemicals among others. These bioresources have proven biological and pharmacological activities due to diverse mechanisms of action such as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antioxidant activities which made them suitable as candidates for nutraceuticals and pharma foods. This review seeks to explore the different processes such as fermentation applied during food preparation and food crops of West-African origin with health-promoting benefits. The different bioactive compounds present in such food or food crops are discussed extensively as well as the diverse application, especially regarding respiratory diseases. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The plants and herbs summarized here are more easily accessible and affordable by therapists and others having a passion for promising medicinal properties of African-origin plants.The mechanisms and unique metabolic potentials of African food crops discussed in this article will promote their applicability as a template molecule for novel drug discoveries in treatment strategies for emerging diseases. This compilation of antiviral plants will help clinicians and researchers bring new preventive strategies in combating COVID-19 like viral diseases, ultimately saving millions of affected people.