Probiotics and prebiotics increase immunity to prevent COVID 19 virus infection: a review article

ABSTRACT

Corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) was an ongoing global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 affects human respiratory tract epithelial cells causing a pro-inflammatory cytokine stormed and chronic lung inflammation. Cytokine stormed was an offensive inflammatory response to Covid-19 infection in some patients. These cytokine storms could damage the lungs, digestive tract, brain, cardiovascular system, liver, kidneys, microcirculation, and eyes with many patients dying every day, efforts to found vaccines and special antiviral drug preparations were currently being explored. The mechanisms of probiotics, prebiotics, and diets with anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity had presented opportunities for the discovery of microbial therapies to prevent and treat Covid19. Probiotics were lived microorganisms which when administered in appropriate and adequate amounts could provided health benefits for the human digestive tract. Prebiotics were selective food ingredients needed by intestinal probiotic microbes as a source of nutrients for their growth and viability. Various emerging scientific evidence supports the hypothesis that probiotics and prebiotics acted as antiviral and immunomodulators that could improved the human immune system. The mechanism of prebiotics in enhancing immunity against Covid-19 was by promoting the maturation, differentiation, and reproduction of lymphocytes and macrophages, activating the reticuloendothelial system, increasing the proportion of CD8+ IEL. The mechanism of probiotics in increasing immunity to fought covid-19 was by increasing the activity of t cells (T-suppressor), T-helper (CD4+), Natural Killer cells, increasing IL-10, increasing the phagocytic capacity of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells.