Propolis and its components can help reduce the physiopathological consequences of Covid-19 infection

Many researchers and scientists have studied the new Coronavirus strain, COVID-19, searching of possible vaccines and treatments. Natural products have been widely used as an adjuvant treatment to prevent and relieve diseases, as they are generally inexpensive, widely available, rarely have adverse side effects and some have proven antiviral activity. It’s in this bias that propolis and its components appear as potential candidates for materials that can help to reduce the pathophysiological consequences of COVID-19 infection due to its antiviral, antimicrobial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, healing, antioxidant activities and immunity enhancer. Thus, propolis emerges as an alternative in the fight against the new coronavirus, by acting on the virus entry pathways in the host cell, both in the fusion of the viral envelope with the cell membrane, through the viral protein spike and the cell receptor ACE II, as in the endosome pathway, by blocking PAK1, a protein that mediates the process of micropinocytosis. In addition, propolis has an important role in the combat against opportunistic bacterial infection and in the strengthening of the immune system. Despite its limited production, propolis can be a great ally in the fight against coronavirus due to the positive impact of its pharmacological properties. For this reason, further studies related to the standardization of propolis and dosage must be carried out, as well as the increase of its production, since it is considered beneficial for the human species.