Herbal medications and natural products for patients with covid-19 and diabetes mellitus: Potentials and challenges

BACKGROUND

The presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among COVID-19 patients is associated with increased hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. Evidence has shown that hyperglycemia potentiates SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection and plays a central role in severe COVID-19 and diabetes comorbidity. In this review, we explore the therapeutic potentials of herbal medications and natural products in the management of COVID-19 and DM comorbidity and the challenges associated with the preexisting or concurrent use of these substances.

METHODS

Research papers that were published from January 2016 to December 2021 were retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases. Papers reporting clinical evidence of antidiabetic activities and any available evidence of the anti-COVID-19 potential of ten selected natural products were retrieved and analyzed for discussion in this review.

RESULTS

A total of 548 papers (73 clinical trials on the antidiabetic activities of the selected natural products and 475 research and review articles on their anti-COVID-19 potential) were retrieved from the literature search for further analysis. A total of 517 articles (reviews and less relevant research papers) were excluded. A cumulative sum of thirty-one (31) research papers (20 clinical trials and 10 others) met the criteria and have been discussed in this review.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this review suggest that phenolic compounds are the most promising phytochemicals in the management of COVID-19 and DM comorbidity. Curcumin and propolis have shown substantial evidence against COVID-19 and DM in humans and are thus, considered the best potential therapeutic options.

Recent advances in the anti-HCV mechanisms of interferon

Interferon (IFN) in combination with ribavirin has been the standard of care (SOC) for chronic hepatitis C for the past few decades. Although the current SOC lacks the desired efficacy, and 4 new direct-acting antiviral agents have been recently approved, interferons are still likely to remain the cornerstone of therapy for some time. Moreover, as an important cytokine system of innate immunity, host interferon signaling provides a powerful antiviral response. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which HCV infection controls interferon production, and how interferons, in turn, trigger anti-HCV activities as well as control the outcome of HCV infection remain to be clarified. In this report, we review current progress in understanding the mechanisms of IFN against HCV, and also summarize the knowledge of induction of interferon signaling by HCV infection.