Turning Towards Phytopharmaceuticals to Revitalize the Immune System to Fight Against COVID-19

The knowledge and lessons learned from the prior severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemics were inadequately materialized and mandated superior techniques and strategies in the health care sector. Currently available preventive and therapeutic management options are inadequate to deal with this pandemic of COVID19. Consequently, the phenomenon of excessive cytokine and chemokine storm clearly depicts a predominant dysregulation of host immune defense. Hence, the implication of optimal immunity boosters to defend against viral infections has been considered effective in addition to balanced nutrition to curtail the damage to the lungs. Plantbased natural products, including extracts, enriched fractions, essential oils, photo molecules, flavors, and fragrances, have attracted both pharmaceutical as well as cosmetic industries. In this chapter, we have comprehensively highlighted the significance of restructured immunity in the prevention of COVID-19. c-ATP (Cellular Adenosine Triphosphate) levels may potentially be considered as a decisive element for maintaining the innate immunity shield against the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, implication of natural products, like Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Curcuma longa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and Andrographis paniculata, has been validated by the decipherment of their molecular mechanisms in immunomodulation. We propose the phospholipid complexation technique coupled with 3D printing technology to surmount the physicochemical and biopharmaceutical hurdles in order to scale up the use of phytopharmaceuticals with desirable immunomodulatory potential. 

Keywords: 3D printing, Adenosine triphosphate, Immunostimulants, Phytopharmaceuticals, Phospholipid complexes, Severe acute respiratory syndrome.