Research progress of probiotics alleviating symptoms of COVID-19

Abstract:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread around the globe since early 2020, becoming one of the worst pandemics in the history. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 can bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor on the host cell surface, to cause gut microbiota imbalance and different complications. Probiotics, proved to be capable of regulating gut microbiota to treat diseases and viral infections, have been considered to serve as an option for alleviating COVID-19. We summarize the efficacy of probiotics in alleviating clinical symptoms and gastrointestinal adverse events of COVID-19 based on the results of available preclinical and clinical trials. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of probiotics to mitigate the sequelae of COVID-19, thereby providing new directions for the subsequent management of COVID-19 and a theoretical basis for treating respiratory diseases.