Potential of the Triad of Fatty Acids, Polyphenols, and Prebiotics from Cucurbita against COVID-19 in Diabetic Patients

Abstract

Though the scientific community of the entire world has been struggling to create preventive and therapeuticdrugs for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the role of nutraceuticals has been hitherto neglected.Established role of fatty acids and polyphenols in combating lifestyle disease can be harnessed to playa significant role in the prevention of this disease. The synergistic effect of these phytonutrients andprebiotics is anticipated to prove beneficial for prevention as well as attenuation of COVID-19 infection.Presence of fatty acids, polyphenols and prebiotics in vegetables from the Cucurbitaceae family makesthem an attractive choice for being used as a nutritional supplement during COVID-19. These are knownto attenuate the excessive immune response which may prove to be beneficial in preventing and mitigatingCOVID-19. Use of prebiotics to promote the growth of probiotics has also been recommended for theprevention and cure of COVID-19. However, no such report exists in literature that throws light on suchrole of cucurbita plants. The present review focuses on the role of the triad of fatty acids, prebiotics andpolyphenols present in cucurbita plants in controlling systemic inflammation and endothelial damage, thetwo main etiopathological factors involved in COVID-19. Cucurbita plants are rich in all these componentsand their inclusion in diet would be an effective strategy to combat COVID-19. The main focus of thereview is to discuss the role of various components of the plants of Cucurbita family, taken as dietarycomponent, in prevention and control of the ongoing pandemic COVID19.