The role of probiotic formulations in COVID-19: when science backs it up

Probiotics and human diseases, many promises but limited results​

Probiotics contain microorganisms, similar to the beneficial microbes naturally occurring in the human gut, the so-called microbiota. Like our natural microbial partners, probiotics can potentially neutralise pathogens directly and stimulate our immune system in preventing or combating infections. Probiotics have been widely investigated through both in vitro ​and in vivo ​assays, suggesting they are potentially beneficial in a broad spectrum of human diseases, including those associated with viral infections. 

Despite the vast amount of premises and promises, definitive evidence of efficacy against severe illnesses is only available for a limited number of probiotic formulations. For many doctors, probiotics are the "snake oil" of the twenty-first century. In this context, it is mandatory to rethink and implement new original research in the field.

Science backs up probiotic ​Sivomixx®800 ​for COVID-19​ ​

Sivomixx®800 is a probiotic formulation containing eight different strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria mixed in a specific ratio. Sivomixx®800 has been the object of numerous experimental and clinical studies proving its effectiveness in debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and epilepsy. Researchers at Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, have evaluated Sivomixx®800 supplementation in a controlled trial including 69 adult COVID-19 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 related pneumonia. All patients in the study had a CT lung involvement of ≥50% and required non-invasive oxygen therapy (Ceccarelli et al., 2021). Patients supplemented with Sivomixx®800 were administered three sachets of Sivomixx®800 (800 billion CFU per dose; total 2.400 billion CFU per day) daily, in addition to routine pharmacological therapy for COVID-19. The subjects treated with Sivomixx®800 experienced a significant improvement in blood oxygenation parameters. This change was evident within a few hours from the first administration of Sivomixx®800. Of note, the patients on standard therapy without the addition of the probiotic required substantially higher oxygen requirements and had a higher probability of being transferred to the intensive care unit (2.5% in the probiotic group vs 13.8% in the control group). Previously, the same research team (d'Ettorre et al., 2020; Ceccarelli et al., 2021) observed that patients showed a higher chance of survival and a reduced risk of respiratory failure when administered Sivomixx®800. This unique, patented formulation modulates oxygen consumption at the intestinal level and, therefore, facilitates adequate oxygenation to other critical organs such as the brain, heart and liver. The “oxygen sparing effect” of Sivomixx®800 marks the way in opening a new therapeutic scenario where Sivomixx®800 is a safe add-on to the standard of care drugs for a broad spectrum of debilitating hypoxia-related diseases such as chronic fatigue, neurodegenerative disorders, neonatal hypoxia, and myocardial ischaemia. 

Sivomixx®800 was a finalist of the Nutraingredients 2021 Awards Best probiotic of the year.  

Ormendes has patented compositions for maintaining normoxia under hypoxia-inducing conditions e.g., neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory failure, neonatal hypoxia-ischaemia, and COVID-19. These formulations are available for licencing. 

Content provided by Ormendes SA and not written by the NutraIngredients.com editorial team. For more information on this article, please contact Ormendes SA. 

References​

• Ceccarelli G, Marazzato M, Celani L, Lombardi F, Piccirilli A, Mancone M, Trinchieri V, Pugliese F, Mastroianni CM, d'Ettorre G. Oxygen Sparing Effect of Bacteriotherapy in COVID-19. Nutrients. 2021; 13(8):2898. doi.org/10.3390/nu13082898.
• Ceccarelli G, Borrazzo C, Pinacchio C, Santinelli L, Innocenti GP, Cavallari EN, Celani L, Marazzato M, Alessandri F, Ruberto F, Pugliese F, Venditti M, Mastroianni CM and d'Ettorre G (2021) Oral Bacteriotherapy in Patients With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Front. Nutr. 7:613928. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.613928.
• d'Ettorre G, Ceccarelli G, Marazzato M, Campagna G, Pinacchio C, Alessandri F, Ruberto F, Rossi G, Celani L, Scagnolari C, Mastropietro C, Trinchieri V, Recchia GE, Mauro V, Antonelli G, Pugliese F and Mastroianni CM (2020) Challenges in the Management of SARS-CoV2 Infection: The Role of Oral Bacteriotherapy as Complementary Therapeutic Strategy to Avoid the Progression of COVID-19. Front. Med. 7:389. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2020.00389.