Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Biochemistry Section, School of Medicine, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 8, I-37134 Verona, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 21;21(14):5171. doi: 10.3390/ijms21145171.
Some coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients develop acute pneumonia which can result in a cytokine storm syndrome in response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The most effective anti-inflammatory drugs employed so far in severe COVID-19 belong to the cytokine-directed biological agents, widely used in the management of many autoimmune diseases. In this paper we analyze the efficacy of epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant ingredient in green tea leaves and a well-known antioxidant, in counteracting autoimmune diseases, which are dominated by a massive cytokines production. Indeed, many studies registered that EGCG inhibits signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1/3 and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) transcription factors, whose activities are crucial in a multiplicity of downstream pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. Importantly, the safety of EGCG/green tea extract supplementation is well documented in many clinical trials, as discussed in this review. Since EGCG can restore the natural immunological homeostasis in many different autoimmune diseases, we propose here a supplementation therapy with EGCG in COVID-19 patients. Besides some antiviral and anti-sepsis actions, the major EGCG benefits lie in its anti-fibrotic effect and in the ability to simultaneously downregulate expression and signaling of many inflammatory mediators. In conclusion, EGCG can be considered a potential safe natural supplement to counteract hyper-inflammation growing in COVID-19.
一些 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）患者会发展为急性肺炎，这可能导致对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）感染的细胞因子风暴综合征。到目前为止，在严重 COVID-19 中使用的最有效的抗炎药物属于细胞因子导向的生物制剂，广泛用于许多自身免疫性疾病的治疗。在本文中，我们分析了表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯（EGCG）的功效，EGCG 是绿茶叶中含量最丰富的成分，也是一种众所周知的抗氧化剂，它可以对抗自身免疫性疾病，这些疾病主要由大量细胞因子产生。事实上，许多研究表明，EGCG 抑制信号转导和转录激活因子（STAT）1/3 和核因子 kappa 轻链增强子的 B 细胞激活（NF-κB）转录因子，其活性在多种下游促炎信号通路中至关重要。重要的是，如本综述所述，EGCG/绿茶提取物补充剂的安全性在许多临床试验中得到了很好的记录。由于 EGCG 可以恢复许多不同自身免疫性疾病中的天然免疫平衡，因此我们在这里提出了在 COVID-19 患者中补充 EGCG 的治疗方法。除了一些抗病毒和抗败血症作用外，EGCG 的主要益处在于其抗纤维化作用以及同时下调许多炎症介质的表达和信号的能力。总之，EGCG 可以被认为是一种对抗 COVID-19 中过度炎症的潜在安全天然补充剂。
