EXPERTSPEAK: Immune Boosters: The Fight Against Covid-19

Stuck in the midst of this world war, threatened by a nanometric non-living particle, COVID-19, the only weapon that we have in our hand to fight it out is our own immune system. Coronaviruses, specially COVID-19, cause an inflammatory storm in the lungs that leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), organ failure, and death.

Before discussing about the immune boosting food items we must have an idea of the troops of the body that fight against these viruses. The front liners of our body is non-specific innate immune system that includes Interferons, natural killer cells and macrophages. 

Any microbe or the invader to the body meets first the epithelial lining of the nasal passage. Interferon (a group of chemicals) is the communication strategy that is produced by plasmacytoid denditric cells to trigger the protection against viruses induce expression of enzymes that block viral replication in the viral infected cells and also prevents the killing of the uninfected cells by the natural killer cells.

The natural killer cells (NK cells) are the commandos of the immune system of the body that slaughter all the viral infected cells and the damaged cells without any mercy.

The third group of our troops are the macrophages that engulf the virus and virus infected cells and cause mass killing. They also produce missiles like TNFa, nitric oxide, and INFa against the viruses.

While the war is on, the body scans the virus antigen and starts manufacturing the antibodies, specific for the virus in their factory i.e. the B lymphocytes present in the blood. 
Antibodies search for the viral antigens on the infected cells causing lysis with some daggers called complement system.

Antibodies bind to the viral antigen on the infected cells that give clue to the NK cells, macrophages and neutrophils to murder the infected cells  known as antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC).

Nutrition is the humming word of the present day research that uphold the immunity and designates a group of molecules as immunoceuticals, a term derived from “immunity” and “pharmaceuticals.” The term applies to the components of food that are enriched in herbal products, microbes, animal sources, processed foods, function as  immunity boosters.

The lung inflammation caused by RNA viruses may be  lessened by certain immunoceuticals while others may also help lift the type I interferon response to these viruses, which serve as the body’s frontline fighters against viruses and give time to the B cells of the body to create antiviral antibodies to fight off viral infections.

According to Mark McCarty of the Catalytic Longevity Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA, and James DiNicolantonio, PharmD, a cardiovascular research scientist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, MO, USA, “certain nutraceuticals may help provide relief to people infected with encapsulated RNA viruses such as influenza and coronavirus” as published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases  by Elsevier.

n-acetylcysteine (NAC), a supplement available over counter that is used to treat acetaminophen poisoning serves as a mucus thinner to help reduce severe bronchitis as found in a randomized clinical studies in humans. 

A group of researchers also noted several nutraceuticals such as beta-glucan, glucosamine, spirulina, and NAC, having either been found to reduce the severity of infection or to cut 50% death rate in animals infected with influenza.    

Evidences show that elderberry extracts shortens the duration of influenza by about two to four days and trimming the severity of the infection. 
Furthermore, one clinical study in humans testing spirulina noted significant reductions in viral load in those infected with HIV.

Yamaguchi  from Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Showa University School of Medicine, Japan, suggested that both black and green teas and the constituents like theaflavins and catechins may act as preventive and therapeutic armamentarium against RNA virus like HIV infection in humans. â€¨

Tea (–)-epigallocate- chin-3-gallate, popularly known as ECGC prevented infection by the influenza virus by binding to the viral hemagglutinin as observed by Yang and his group from China. The bound viral particles cannot attach to the target receptor cells. COVID 19 has a high antigenic similarity with Influenza virus.

Administration of honeys, nutraceutical rich food source with antiviral agents and source of more than 20 minerals including zinc helps to develop immunity against viruses. Siale Teaupa and his group at Brigham Young University revealed that manuka honey and bee pollen (1:1) along with Jamaican Sorrel and Black Currant berries may be considered as a treatment of Influenza virus.  

Present introductory article discussed about how the body resists sudden attack of the foreign invaders. Therapeutic potential of nutraceuticals present in different food items will be revealed in future articles with special emphasis on antiviral properties.

 
(Dr. Dhar is Associate Professor, Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Food and Nutrition Division, University of Calcutta.  She can be reached on pubalighoshdhar23@gmail.com  www.lfsthsc.org)