Immunity through Nutrition and Natural Product

The COVID-19 pandemic had created a great socioeconomically burden throughout the world. Health care systems are consistently working hard to develop safe and effective drugs to control the pandemic. In this concern both synthetic drugs and natural products containing several phytoconstituents having various pharmacological activities are gaining importance in the development of COVID-19 treatment. Among all phytoconstituents having antioxidant property play a significant role in preventing oxidative stress and preventing the complexities of the COVID-19 infection. 

Oxidative stress is caused by the excess free radicals which deplete the antioxidants of the immune system antioxidants, causes gene expression changes, and results in the formation of abnormal proteins which leads to degenerative diseases and ageing. Hence the role of antioxidants has become very important. Many herbs, fruits, and vegetables contain large amounts of phenolic antioxidants other than the well-known vitamins C, E, and carotenoids. Antioxidants inhibit the oxidation of living cells by free radicals by exhibiting the free radical scavenging activity and attenuating the formation of free radicals, neutralizing or converting free radicals into less active, stable products causing the chain reaction to disrupt and maintain the cell homeostasis. ¹

Among different naturals phytoconstituents, Mangiferin is regarded as a “super antioxidant” that provides specific protection against free radical production by the Fenton reaction due to its iron-chelating properties. ²

Mangiferin is obtained from Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae) and chemically is (2-b-D-glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxy-xanthone) is a xanthone (non-flavonoid polyphenol) .

Studies by Ying et al., 1999 have revealed that acidosis increases the hydroxyl radical production by the Fenton reaction and decreases the activities of the antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione reductase.² Mangiferin maintains the integrity and functionality of erythrocytes and RBCs and protects them from reactive oxygen species.³

Studies in an in-vivo animal model,  using DPPH Free Radical Scavenging Assay have revealed that the methanolic mangiferin extracts exhibit potent antioxidants (EC50: 5.8 ± 0.96 μg/ml), and also have shown hepatoprotective actions against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage, further supporting the performance of their in vivo radical scavenging system.⁴

Studies by Suchal et al in 2017 in diabetic rat models revealed that Mangiferin attenuated ischemia/reperfusion injuries by its strong antioxidant property by scavenging the free radical. The study revealed that Magniferin inhibited the activation of the AGE-RAGE axis which causes oxidative stress and inflammation. ⁵

The above studies are evident that Mangiferin exhibits strong antioxidant properties, hence regarded as “Super Antioxidant”, which may help to boost and build a strong the immunity to fight against infections like COVID-19.

Reference:

1. Martin Masibo, Q. H. Major Mango Polyphenols and Their Potential Significance to Human Health. Comprehensive Reviews In Food Science And Food Safety ,2008, Vol. 7, 309-319.
2. Miriam Gelabert-RebatoJulia C. Wiebe, M. M.-R., Nigel Gericke, Mario Perez-Valera, David Curtelin, Victor Galvan-Alvarez, Laura Lopez-Rios, David Morales-Alamo and Jose A. L. Calbet. Mangifera indica L. Leaf Extract in Combination With Luteolin or Quercetin Enhances VO2peak and Peak Power Output, and Preserves Skeletal Muscle Function During Ischemia-Reperfusion in Humans. Front. Physiol. 2018, 9:740, 2-15.
3. A.C. Matheyambath, J. S. a. G. P. Encyclopedia of Food and Health, Mangoes. 2016, 641-645.
4. Ahsana Dar , S. F., Sabira Naqvi, Talat Roome, Sadia Zikr-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Ali, Sadiqa Firdous, Syed Tarique Moin. Analgesic and antioxidant activity of mangiferin and its derivatives: the structure activity relationship. Biol Pharm Bull ,2005, 28(4):, 596-600.
5. Kapil Suchal, S. M., Sana Irfan Khan,Rajiv Kumar Malhotra, Sameer N. Goyal,Jagriti Bhatia, Santosh Kumari,Shreesh Ojha,and Dharamvir Singh Aryaa,. Protective effect of mangiferin on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: role of AGE-RAGE/MAPK pathways. Sci Rep. , 2017;, 7: 42027.