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Review
. 2022 Aug 6;12(8):1292.
doi: 10.3390/jpm12081292.

Pharmacological Efficacy of Probiotics in Respiratory Viral Infections: A Comprehensive Review

Shadma Wahab  1 , Dalia Almaghaslah  2 , Syed Esam Mahmood  3 , Md Faruque Ahmad  4 , Abdulrahman A Alsayegh  4 , Yahya M Abu Haddash  4 , Mohammad Akhlaquer Rahman  5 , Irfan Ahamd  6 , Wasim Ahmad  7 , Mohammad Khalid  8 , Shazia Usmani  9 , Md Parwez Ahmad  10 , Umme Hani  11
Affiliations
Review

Pharmacological Efficacy of Probiotics in Respiratory Viral Infections: A Comprehensive Review

Shadma Wahab et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

Mortality and morbidity from influenza and other respiratory viruses are significant causes of concern worldwide. Infections in the respiratory tract are often underappreciated because they tend to be mild and incapacitated. On the other hand, these infections are regarded as a common concern in clinical practice. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, albeit this is becoming more challenging since many of the more prevalent infection causes have acquired a wide range of antimicrobial resistance. Resistance to frontline treatment medications is constantly rising, necessitating the development of new antiviral agents. Probiotics are one of several medications explored to treat respiratory viral infection (RVI). As a result, certain probiotics effectively prevent gastrointestinal dysbiosis and decrease the likelihood of secondary infections. Various probiotic bacterias and their metabolites have shown immunomodulating and antiviral properties. Unfortunately, the mechanisms by which probiotics are effective in the fight against viral infections are sometimes unclear. This comprehensive review has addressed probiotic strains, dosage regimens, production procedures, delivery systems, and pre-clinical and clinical research. In particular, novel probiotics' fight against RVIs is the impetus for this study. Finally, this review may explore the potential of probiotic bacterias and their metabolites to treat RVIs. It is expected that probiotic-based antiviral research would be benefitted from this review's findings.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; immunomodulatory effects; probiotics; probiotics delivery; respiratory viral infections; viral infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The most often utilized probiotic strains.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Probable antiviral mechanism of action of probiotics.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The possible role of probiotics in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The possible scope of probiotics in vaccine development against viral infections.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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