Effects of resveratrol on inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Studies show that the clinical symptoms of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are significantly reduced by treatment with medicinal plants, including plants with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The use of herbal medicines and supplements is considered to be suitable due to relatively mild side effects. Resveratrol is one of the most potent plant compounds found in both medicinal and non-medicinal plants, and it has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Therefore, the aim of the double-blind clinical study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol consumption on biochemical markers, hematological parameters, and some inflammatory cytokines in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: A total of 44 patients with COVID-19 were randomly assigned to receive 750 mg/day of resveratrol (n = 24) orally or placebo (n = 20) for 10 days. A permuted block randomized design (block size two) was used for randomization. The biochemical markers, hematological parameters, and plasma levels of Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-10 (IL-10), and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) cytokines were measured at baseline and after 10 days.

Results: We observed a statistically significant reduction in the C-reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.041), Fasting blood sugar (FBS) (P = 0.002), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P = 0.034), IL-1β (P = 0.011), TNF-α (P = 0.001), and White blood cell (WBC) (P = 0.043), Platelet count (PLT) (P = 0.042), Neutrophils (NUT) (P = 0.015) and an increase in Lymphocyte (LYM) (P = 0.010) in the resveratrol treated group when compared with the placebo group.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that resveratrol as an herbal supplement may be useful in reducing markers of inflammation, neutrophils, and low platelet count, as well as lowering blood glucose levels in patients with COVID-19. The trial was prospectively registered at IRCT.ir as IRCT20111119008129N13. Registration date: 2022-10-11.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cytokines; Inflammation; Resveratrol.