Title | Effectiveness of supplementation with quercetin-type flavonols for treatment of viral lower respiratory tract infections: Systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical studies. | ||
Author | Brito, Julio Cesar Moreira; Lima, William Gustavo; Cordeiro, Lidia Pereira B; da Cruz Nizer, Waleska Stephanie | ||
Journal | Phytother Res | Publication Year/Month | 2021-Sep |
PMID | 33864310 | PMCID | PMC8250479 |
Affiliation + expend | 1.Department of Research and Development, Ezequiel Dias Foundation (FUNED), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. |
Viral infections of the lower respiratory tract are considered a public health problem. They affect millions of people worldwide, causing thousands of deaths, and are treated with expensive medicines, such as antivirals or palliative measures. In this study, we conducted a systematic review to describe the use of quercetin-type flavonols against lower respiratory tract viruses and discussed the preclinical impact of this approach on different signs and clinical mechanisms of infection. The systematic review was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Scielo, and Biblioteca Virtual de Saude (BVS). After the database search, 11 relevant studies were identified as eligible. The analysis of these studies showed evidence of antiviral activity of quercetin-type flavonols with significantly reduced mortality rate (M-H = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.65, p-value = 0.008) of infected animals and a reduction in the average viral load (IV = -1.93, 95% CI: -3.54 to -0.31, p-value = 0.02). Additionally, quercetin and its derivatives reduced the amount of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, reactive oxygen species, mucus production, and airway resistance in animals infected with a respiratory virus. Overall, supplementation with quercetin-type flavonols is a promising strategy for treating viral-induced lower respiratory tract infections.