Probiotic lactobacilli: Can be a remediating supplement for pandemic COVID-19. A review

Abstract

In recent years increased attention is focussed on microorganisms inhabiting the digestive system that provides prophylactic and therapeutic benefits to the host. After Metchnikoff exposed the secret behind Bulgarian peasants' extended longevity, a graze to incorporate the responsible microbes in functional food emerged. Then interest towards microbe-rich food went to the vegetative phase for some time, but now a renaissance to engage these wonder microbes in the healthcare sector is increasing. With a new definition, probiotics, these good microbes have been widely applied in different types of products, either as pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, or foods. Probiotics, a significant source in functional dairy products, claims diverse roles such as improving intestinal tract health, enhancing the immune system, synthesizing and enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients, reducing symptoms of lactose intolerance, decreasing the prevalence of allergy in susceptible individuals, and reducing the risk of certain cancers. In the recent COVID-19 issue, searches are going fast to use probiotics as vaccine carriers, dysbiosis balancer, and immunity booster. The high expectation from probiotics expanded the development of bioengineered probiotics as new-generation probiotics. From the animal model and in vitro studies, the probiotic intervention is extrapolated to innate and adaptive immunity inducer against SARS viral infections. The possibility of using it as prophylactic and therapeutic agents in COVID-19 is explored. However, its significant activity against corona virus-induced respiratory syndromes is questioned by a few researchers also. The emerging citations on the research approach and meta-analysis of probiotic intervention against the re-emerging pandemic viral attack on the respiratory and gastrointestinal domains need to be analyzed in this context. As it is essential to understand the reality of recent experimental outcomes in the probiotic approach towards SARS-CoV-2 prevention, management, and control, the recent publications were focused on this review.

Keywords: Lactobacilli; MERS; Probiotics; SARS; SARS-CoV-2.

Fig. 1

Illustrating the immune boosting, and antiviral roles played by probiotics.

Fig. 2

Pathogenesis of COVID-19 in different systems in human body.