Mega doses of retinol: A possible immunomodulation in Covid-19 illness in resource-limited settings.
Rev Med Virol
; 31(5): 1-14, 2021 09.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1575050
ABSTRACT
Of all the nutrients, vitamin A has been the most extensively evaluated for its impact on immunity. There are three main forms of vitamin A, retinol, retinal and retinoic acid (RA) with the latter being most biologically active and all-trans-RA (ATRA) its main derivative. Vitamin A is a key regulator of the functions of various innate and adaptive immune cells and promotes immune-homeostasis. Importantly, it augments the interferon-based innate immune response to RNA viruses decreasing RNA virus replication. Several clinical trials report decreased mortality in measles and Ebola with vitamin A supplementation.During the Covid-19 pandemic interventions such as convalescent plasma, antivirals, monoclonal antibodies and immunomodulator drugs have been tried but most of them are difficult to implement in resource-limited settings. The current review explores the possibility of mega dose vitamin A as an affordable adjunct therapy for Covid-19 illness with minimal reversible side effects. Insight is provided into the effect of vitamin A on ACE-2 expression in the respiratory tract and its association with the prognosis of Covid-19 patients. Vitamin A supplementation may aid the generation of protective immune response to Covid-19 vaccines. An overview of the dosage and safety profile of vitamin A is presented along with recommended doses for prophylactic/therapeutic use in randomised controlled trials in Covid-19 patients.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Vitamin A
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Vaccines
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Rev Med Virol
Journal subject:
Virology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Rmv.2204
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