Current Perspective on Vitamins and SARS-CoV-2 Disease (COVID-19)

Abstract

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a highly pathogenic and transmissible coronavirus, has resulted in a pandemic named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has taken over the world in no time causing nearly 5 million deaths and almost 500 million people being affected as of June 2022 causing an extensive burden on healthcare facilities globally. Though the disease onset is via respiratory tract, but it affects almost all organs of the body and due to induction of mutations in the virus, combating with the disease is extremely difficult. The major damage associated with disease is driven through inflammatory pathways in tissues with accompanying cytokine storm mediated mainly by macrophages. Building a strong immune system requires maintenance of a healthy diet along with keeping vitamin and coenzyme deficiencies away. The review focuses on the importance of the vitamins for maintaining a good immune system to reduce the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, to fight the infection efficiently, and to reduce the impact of the disease. Vitamins play an essential role in modulating the immune responses to infection via altering the signaling pathways, which can act as potential weapons against the disease. Various water- and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin B, C, D, and E have crucial roles in mediating primary interferon response, improving innate as well as adaptive functions of immunity and antioxidant properties. The current understanding about the supplementation of various vitamins as an adjunct therapeutic strategy to fight COVID-19 disease has also been discussed.