PhytoGaia clinical trial shows promise of squalene to reduce recurrence of COVID-19

05 Mar 2024 --- The outcome of a PhytoGaia commissioned study demonstrated squalene’s efficacy in reducing mortality and preventing re-hospitalization in COVID-19 patients when administered sublingually. Pumpkin seed oil was the main source of squalene extraction here, however, it is widespread in animals — shark liver oil mainly — plants, fungi and bacteria.

The treatment group received a regimen of five drops of squalene every four hours for five days in addition to the standard treatment. The control group received the standard treatment alone.

Patients were monitored for a month after leaving the hospital. The sublingual form was prepared through a microemulsion formulation using a concentration of 10 mg/ml, using titration and is recommended as an effective drug.

“The role of squalene as an anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory and antioxidant drug offers promise for COVID-19 patients. PhytoGaia offers a novel combination of natural plant squalene + tocotrienol complex (STGaia), which may provide impressive synergistic health benefits,” says Bryan See, vice president of PhytoGaia.

Ongoing life-saving research
The study, published in Nature, analyzed the impact of squalene on patient outcomes during the critical period of the pandemic, from November 2021 to January 2022, with 602 eligible patients. Both groups were statistically similar regarding various demographic and clinical parameters, guaranteeing the findings’ validity.

The groups were statistically similar in age, sex, body mass index, lymphocyte count on the first admission day, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, chronic respiratory disease, immunosuppressive disease, and required standard treatments.

The researchers note that, alarmingly, after one month, 94.7% of the patients in the treatment group were alive, compared to 81.4% in the control group. Sublingually administered squalene showed effectiveness in preventing re-hospitalization due to COVID-19. Only 19.3% of the patients in the treatment group required re-hospitalization, compared to 46.8% in the control group.

“This represents a significant step forward and opportunity in our fight against COVID-19, offering a potential lifeline, especially for those patients with severe symptoms,” says Dr. Ariati Aris, scientific affairs specialist at PhytoGaia.

COVID-19 infection can range from asymptomatic infection to life-threatening pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, cytokine storms, multiple organ failure and death.

Emerging research proposes that pro-inflammatory cytokines and cells are unusually abundant in critical patients, bringing up the cytokine storm syndrome and hyper-inflammation for COVID-19 etiology.

Researchers believe oxidative stress plays a role in the SARS-Cov-2 infection pathogenesis by contributing to cytokine storm, coagulopathy and cell hypoxia. They confirm that the related mortality may be due to inflammation caused by the virus. Continuous positive feedback loops between oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory signaling cause an uncontrolled hyper-inflammatory state.

Meanwhile, PhytoGaia also presented a meta-analysis linking palm tocotrienols/tocopherol complex supplementation to a significant reduction in HbA1c, which might be helpful for those suffering from type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as it may prevent cardiac mortality and micro- and macrovascular problems.

Finding novel therapeutic approaches
The results of this groundbreaking study underscore the importance of continued research and innovation in identifying novel therapeutic approaches to combat COVID-19. According to the researchers, further investigation into the potential of sublingual squalene is warranted to unlock its full therapeutic benefits.

Anti-oxidative effects are important in viral infection, and antioxidant defense is critical in determining the severity of viral infections. Antioxidant depletion can cause viral mutations and increase viral virulence in RNA viruses.

Previous research showed that the administration of squalene in human mammary epithelial cells decreases intracellular reactive oxygen species, suppresses H2O2-induced oxidative damage, and protects DNA against oxidative injury.

In other recent COVID research, a study linking plant-based diets to reduced COVID-19 risk sparked a nutritional debate among experts. Scientists in Brazil reveal that a predominantly plant-based or vegetarian diet could be linked to a 39% lower chance of contracting COVID-19, suggesting that dietary choices might play a vital role in the susceptibility and response to the virus.

By Inga de Jong

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