Nutraceuticals in the prevention of viral Infections

Recently, scientific interest was focused on nutraceuticals, which are those biomolecules in foods or vegetables that have beneficial effects on health. The pharmacological properties of natural biomolecules have gained increasing attention in the field of alternative and coadjutant therapeutic approaches to infectious diseases. These compounds are characterized by negligible side effects in comparison with traditional pharmacological therapies. During the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 attention to the antiviral properties of nutraceuticals was increased. It is well-known that polyphenols from fruit and vegetables, biologically active and useful substances have been recognized for their functional importance as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory agents and for their ACE-inhibitory activity. In addition, many nutrients, such as vitamins link A, B, C, and D, and minerals like zinc and selenium play an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system. The use of a plant-based diet and appropriate food supplementation could help in reducing the symptoms related to viral infection. Thus, developing advanced nutraceutical formulations able to efficacy contrast inflammation, and oxidative stress during infection could prevent complications. To investigate the role of natural compounds in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation some biomolecules from saffron have been extracted and characterized. Picrocrocin, 4-OH safranal, and safranal have been identified as bioactive compounds in the saffron extract. These molecules have evaluated for their anti-inflammatory proprieties. In addition, Caffeic acid, Siringic acid, Gallic acid, and Rosmarinic acid have been selected as potential candidates.