Possible Ameliorative Role of Spirulina Platensis on Coagulation Factors, Lymphocytopenia, and Malnutrition in Icu Patients With Covid-19 Publisher Pubmed



Hatami M¹ ; Mojaniqomi MS^{1, 2} ; Javid Z³ ; Taghavi M⁴ ; Bakhshandeh H⁵ ; Zavaragh DSD⁶ ; Mikaniki F⁷ ; Nazari M⁸ ; Seyedmehdi SA⁹ ; Rahmani J¹⁰ ; Norouzi M^{11, 12} ; Shadnoush M¹³
Source: Applied Physiology# Nutrition and Metabolism Published:2023

Abstract

Considering the anti-viral effects of Spirulina platensis (Sp), this study investigated the impact of Sp on impaired blood biomarkers of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19. Therefore, 104 patients (aged 48–66; 61.5% male) were randomly assigned to the Sp (daily consumption of 5 g) or placebo group for 2 weeks. Linear regression analysis was employed to assess the differences in blood test results between the control and intervention groups among patients with COVID-19. Our results showed significant differences in certain hematological tests, including a higher level of hematocrit (HCT) and a lower platelet count (PLT) in the intervention group (p < 0.05). The percentage of lymphocytes (Lym%) in serology testing was significantly different between the control and intervention groups (p = 0.03). In terms of biochemical test analyses, Sp supplementation was associated with reduced levels of both blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p = 0.01). Furthermore, on day 14, the intervention group displayed significantly higher medians of serum protein, albumin, and zinc compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, patients supplemented with Sp had a lower BUN–albumin ratio (BAR) (p = 0.01). No immunological and hormonal differences were observed between groups following 2 weeks. Our analysis indicates that Sp supplementation may be effective in regulating some blood test abnormalities associated with COVID-19. This study was registered at ISRCTN as IRCT20200720048139N1. © 2023 The Author(s).