The immunomodulatory effects of probiotics on respiratory viral infections: A hint for COVID-19 treatment?
Author
Mahooti, Mehran
Mohammad Miri, Seyed
Abdolalipour, Elahe
Ghaemi, Amir
Institutions
Abstract
Respiratory virus infections are among the most prevalent diseases in humans and contribute to
morbidity and mortality in all age groups. Moreover, since they can evolve fast and cross the
species barrier, some of these viruses, such as influenza A and coronaviruses, have sometimes
caused epidemics or pandemics and were associated with more serious clinical diseases and even
mortality. The recently identified Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a Public Health Emergency of
International concern and has been associated with rapidly progressive pneumonia. To ensure
protection against emerging respiratory tract infections, the development of new strategies based
on modulating the immune responses is essential. The use of probiotic components has
substantially increased due to their effects on immune responses, in particular on those that occur
in the upper/lower respiratory tract. Superinduction of inflammatory reaction, known as a
cytokine storm, has been correlated directly with viral pneumonia and serious complications of
respiratory infections. In this review, probiotics, as potential immunomodulatory agents, have
been proposed to improve the host's response to respiratory viral infections. In addition, the
effects of probiotics on different aspects of immune responses and their antiviral properties in
both pre-clinical and clinical contexts have been described in detail.