WHO recognizes ICAR-CIFT publication suggesting Seaweed as an effective immunotherapy to fight COVID-19

The ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala’s Research Article published in the Current Science entitled “Can sulphated polysaccharides from seaweed provide prophylactic and / or therapeutic solution to Covid-19 pandemic?” has been recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Research Article authored by Dr. Ashish K. Jha; Dr. Suseela Mathew, Head of Division, Biochemistry & Nutrition, ICAR-CIFT and Dr. Ravishankar C.N., Director, ICAR-CIFT highlighting the potential of seaweed as an effective immunotherapy against COVID-19 has been placed in the WHO’s Website Section of “COVID-19 Global Literature on Coronavirus Disease” for sharing the information and knowledge to help the world in fighting against the Pandemic disease.

The endorsement of the publication by the Geneva based World Health Organisation is an evidence for the scientists’ working in the field of marine resources and drug discovery for the claims they put forward on some of the naturally available seaweed compounds, which can act as a wonder drug to fight the SARS-CoV-2.

The marine environment being a natural habitat for a wide variety of living organisms, contain more than 80% of plant and animal species in the world. The Seaweed is considered as one of the easily accessible and most abundant live species present in the marine ecosystem. The Seaweed’s derivatives inherit many nutraceutical properties. The several polysaccharides isolated from red and green seaweeds have been evaluated for their antiviral characteristics and found to have the ability to inhibit the initial attachment of virus to the host cells which, in turn, effectively blocks the viral entry into the human body. The Carrageenan, a sulphated polysaccharide from red seaweed has already been tried as a therapeutic agent for respiratory illness like common cold and influenza virus H1N1. In vitro study shows that iota-carrageenan is active against novel pandemic H1N1/2009 influenza. The study depicts that the use of sulphated polysaccharide increases the secretions of interferon and interleukins suggesting it as a strong immune-stimulator. Considering the available scientific knowledge, it is proposed that sulphated polysaccharide from seaweed can be a potent molecule to fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic, hence, a candidate molecule to be studied against SARS-CoV-2.
Source: ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala