Part of what makes COVID-19 such a dangerous disease in severe cases
is because it can trigger a cytokine storm reaction leading to sepsis, organ
failure and death.
I’ve written a number of articles
discussing a variety of natural supplements known to inactivate viruses, quell
inflammation and regulate the inflammatory process. Examples include vitamin C, melatonin and licorice root. You can find them all on
my Coronavirus Resource Page.
Blocking
Cytokine Storm Is Crucial
Most
recently, the paper1 “COVID-19: Potential of Microalgae Derived Natural
Astaxanthin as Adjunctive Supplement in Alleviating Cytokine Storm,” published
April 21, 2020, on the research library website SSRN, addresses the use of
astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant supplement derived from microalgae. According
to the authors:
“There
is rationale, pre-clinical evidences of effectiveness and evidence of safety
from long-time use for other indications to justify possible inclusion of
natural astaxanthin as adjunctive in combination with primary anti-viral drugs
therapy will hugely benefit COVID-19 patients by improving their health and
reducing recovery time …
Clinically,
natural astaxanthin has shown diverse benefits with excellent safety and
reported to block oxidative DNA damage, lowered C-reactive protein (CRP) and
other inflammation biomarkers. Previous studies reported that natural
astaxanthin exert positive effects in alleviating cytokine storm, acute lung
injury, acute respiratory syndrome, etc …
Current
understandings based on accumulated evidences suggest that SARS-CoV-2 induces a
potential amplified inflammatory response to sequential consequences of ALI
[acute lung injury], ARDS [acute respiratory distress syndrome] to a
life-threatening dire consequence of potential septic shock with elevated
expression of inflammatory related genes along with inevitable secondary
infections, rather than increased viral load …
The
attenuation of the cytokine storm by targeting key steps in the process may
deliver improved outcomes … Shi et al. suggested a two-phase approach for
potential treatments of COVID-19 patients: the first immune defense-based
protective phase for non-severe COVID-19 cases and the second,
inflammation-driven damaging phase for severe COVID-19 patients.
Zhang
et al. presented a critical review … stating that blocking the cytokine storm
at right time followed by initiation of anti-inflammation therapy is very
critical for reducing the rate of fatalities. … A range of antioxidants as
supplements will offer a window of quick recovery of patients by reducing post
treatment side-effects.”
Rationale
for Using Astaxanthin
The
astaxanthin paper cites research showing astaxanthin “can play major roles in
regulating immunity and disease etiology” thanks to its multifaceted activity.
Not only is it a powerful antioxidant, but it’s also an immune booster,
anti-inflammatory, neuroprotector, immunomodulator, antibacterial and
anti-apoptotic. In terms of antioxidant power, it’s thought to be the most
potent available. As noted in the astaxanthin paper:2
“The
antioxidant activity of astaxanthin is reported to far exceed the existing
antioxidants with ROS- scavenging capacity of 6,000 times that of vitamin C,
800 times that of coenzyme Q10, 550 times that of vitamin E, 200 times that of
polyphenols, 150 times that of anthocyanins, and 75 times that of α-Lipoic
acid.”
Importantly, as explained in this paper,
astaxanthin has a very unique molecular structure that allows it to penetrate
the bilayer membrane of cells. The ability to quench reactive oxygen species
(ROS) and free radicals in both the inner and outer layers of the cellular
membrane allows it to provide superior protection against oxidative stress,
compared to other antioxidants.
Vitamin E and beta-carotene, for example, only work in the
inner side of the membrane, and vitamin C only works on the outer side.3 What’s
more:
“The
anti-oxidative effect of astaxanthin cooperates with its anti-inflammatory
actions by up-regulating anti- oxidative enzymes (e.g. superoxide dismutase)
and down-regulating pro-oxidative enzymes (e.g. nitric oxide synthetase).
Astaxanthin
is also known to protect pancreatic beta cells by reducing oxidative stress and
sugar toxicity, improve the levels adiponectin and HDL, and enhances blood flow
and circulation,” the authors state, adding:
“Increasing
evidences indicate that dysregulation of cytokines in acute inflammation is the
most important step in mediating, amplifying and perpetuating the process of
sepsis or ALI …
The
excessive release of various pro-inflammatory cytokines mainly including TNF-α,
IL-6, IL-1β, IL-12 and IL-8 rapidly initiate a systemic inflammatory response
leading to simulation of adaptive immune response and cytokine storm resulting
the acute cellular injury to form sepsis or ALI.
These
observations along with currently accumulating evidences related to COVID-19,
strongly suggest that the inflammatory process involve in association with ARDS
related ALI and sepsis.
This
warrants that effective anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory treatments must be
given strategically to treat COVID-19 patients …
Anti-inflammatory
/ anti-oxidants candidates to intervene the excessive production of cytokines,
including IL6 and TNF-α can be a promising strategy for the prevention and
treatment of COVID-19 induced ARDS related ALI and sepsis.”
According to the authors, astaxanthin may be uniquely suited for this
task. Astaxanthin, “with its proven anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity
backed by multiple preclinical and human trials and with its extraordinary
safety profile can be one of the most promising candidates to be tried against
COVID-19,” they say.
How
Astaxanthin May Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Damage
The
authors believe astaxanthin may help minimize the impact of SARS-CoV-2
infection by:4
The following graph
illustrates and summarizes the beneficial effects of astaxanthin and how it can
help quench the cytokine storm response responsible for the sepsis, acute lung
injury, ARDS and multiorgan disorders often seen in patients with severe COVID-19
disease. According to the authors:
“Taken
together, we speculate that implications of astaxanthin as adjunctive
countermeasure in the treatment of COVID-19 may exert dual purpose of both as
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound with beneficial outcome of reduce
fatality and rapid recovery …”
Astaxanthin,
One of Nature’s Most Powerful Antioxidants
In short,
astaxanthin ticks many important boxes when it comes to ameliorating COVID-19,
including immune response regulation and the enhancement of both cell-mediated
and humoral immune responses, as well as the simultaneous protection against
oxidative damage and inflammation.
Aside from being potentially useful
against COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, astaxanthin has also been
shown to provide broad-spectrum, systemwide health benefits, protecting against
radiation and promoting skin, eye, brain and heart health. To learn more about
this powerful antioxidant, see “Research on Astaxanthin Demonstrates Significant Whole
Body Benefits.”
Sources
and References
Copyright © Dr. Joseph Mercola