QUERCETIN AND VITAMIN C: SYNERGISTIC THERAPY FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF COVID-19 RELATED DISEASE

Renu Thakur and *Deepak Kumar

ABSTRACT

In December 2019, an epidemic of pneumonia of unknown etiology was detected in Wuhan City (China) and the etiological agent of the atypical pneumonia was isolated by the Chinese as novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV or SARS-CoV-2). The WHO announced this disease was to be known as ―COVID-19.‖ SARS-CoV-2 represents an emergent global threat which is straining worldwide healthcare capacity. As of May11 the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has resulted in 16.2crore and 33 lakh deaths worldwide, with 24,372,007 total cases and 266,229 death in the India alone. It is important to study and develop pharmacological treatments useful for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We are trying to finding new antiviral compounds, knowledge of the main viral proteins is essential . The drug that is able targets of SARS-CoV-2 include 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and spike (S) protein. Quercetin is a flavonoid compound and their antiviral properties have been investigated in various study. Quercetin has capability to interfere with SARS-CoV-2 replication. Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) is a essential vitamin necessary for functioning of the immune system. Numerous evidence show that vitamin C and quercetin co-administration exerts a synergistic antiviral action due to overlapping antiviral an immunomodulatory properties and the ascorbate has capacity to recycle quercetin, enhance its efficacy. We present the current evidence for the use of vitamin C and quercetin both for prophylaxis and for the treatment of COVID-19 patients as an adjunct to rising pharmacological agents such as Remdesivir or convalescent plasma.

Keywords: COVID-19, infectious diseases, quercetin, SARS-CoV-2, vitamin C, quercetin, flavonoids, antiviral, Coronavirus, immunomodulation.