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Prophylaxis against COVID-19 with zinc supplements

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eMediNexus    05 August 2020

Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 has currently become the largest health challenge for the entire world, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The infection can be transmitted directly from human to human, while symptomatic individuals are the most commoncause of the disease.

At present, the therapeutic approaches to manage the COVID-19 are only supportive and reducing transmission in the community is the only effective preventive measure, including isolation of patients and infected individuals, careful infection control and improving one’s immunity.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is associated with high susceptibility to infectious diseases, which are caused by bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens, and may be caused by certain diseases, aging, and lifestyle-associated factors. Correct administration of Zn supplement in appropriate therapeutic doses has a potential either to restore the depleted immune cell function or to improve the normal immune cell function.

Zinc has been known to have a variety of direct and indirect antiviral properties that are recognized through different mechanisms. Administration of Zn supplement has a potential to enhance antiviral immunity, both innate and humoral, particularly in immunocompromised or elderly patients. Zn might also act in a synergistic manner when co-administered along with the standard antiviral therapy.

The effectiveness of the antiviral properties of Zn against a number of viral species are primarily realized through the physical processes, for example virus attachment, infection and uncoating, through inhibition of viral protease and polymerase enzymatic processes.

Thus, Zinc supplementation might be of potential benefit for prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19, as it possesses a variety of direct and indirect antiviral properties.

Source: Amit Kumar, Yuichi Kubota, Mikhail Chernov and Hidetoshi Kasuya; Potential Role of Zinc Supplementation in Prophylaxis and Treatment of COVID-19; Med Hypotheses. 2020 May 25: 109848.

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