ViroVit

Due to frequent exposure to viruses and bacteria, the body’s defenses weaken and a whole spectrum of infections caused by viruses and bacteria occurs. In order to prevent infections of this type and help the body cope with attacks, we made ViroVit, by combining the strongest fighters against viruses and bacteria: vitamins D3 and C, zinc, selenium and magnesium. The combined action of vitamins D3 and C, zinc, selenium and magnesium enhances the effect of individual components, so ViroVit achieves effective results and, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties, improves the function of immune cells, including T cells and macrophages.

ViroVit – Vitamin D

Vitamin D is the only vitamin that can be synthesized in the human body. About 80% of vitamin D is synthesized in the skin when exposed to sunlight, which is why it is also called “sun vitamin”, while about 20% in the human body is provided from food and dietary supplements.

In addition to its classic role in maintaining bone mineral density, vitamin D has an important “non-classical” effect on the body’s immune system by modulating the innate and adaptive immune system, by influencing the production of important endogenous antimicrobial peptides such as cathelicidin, regulating the inflammatory cascade (NFκB) and T cells.

Several epidemiological studies in adults and children have shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk and higher severity of infection, especially with influenza and respiratory tract infections. In addition to infection prevention, recent studies have also shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with the severity of the infection, including prolonged hospital stays, increased costs, and increased mortality in those admitted to intensive care units.

The antiviral effects of vitamin D can be explained by cathelicidin and possibly by the release of reactive oxygen species. The antibacterial effect of cathelicidin is related to its ability to interfere with bacterial membranes by electrostatic interactions. Similar interactions can occur with viral lipid envelopes and experiments have shown that vitamin D has direct antiviral effects, especially against enveloped viruses.

In addition to the association with respiratory infections, several observational studies have found an association between vitamin D deficiency and HIV infection. These studies show that vitamin D deficiency can be an important, modified risk factor for HIV infection. Studies have also shown a link between multiple sclerosis (MS), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and vitamin D levels. The risk of developing MS is associated with low vitamin D status and EBV infection, so low vitamin D levels may play a role in development of MS. Vitamin D modulates the immune response to EBV and suppresses the activation of autoreactive T cells that may contribute to MS pathology.

ViroVit – Vitamin C

Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate) does not reduce the average frequency of colds in the general population, but its use halves the number of colds in physically active people. Regular intake of vitamin C shortens the duration of a cold.

Several controlled trials have shown that vitamin C prevents pneumonia as well as helping to treat patients with pneumonia. Hospital emergency and intensive care units make extensive use of a high-dose vitamin C treatment approach to prevent death from SARS-associated pneumonia.

Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, stimulating chemotaxis, growth and activity of some immune cells (macrophages, lymphocytes, natural killer cells), enabling the body to fight infection more effectively. In addition, when the body is under severe stress, for example, after recovering from toxin exposure, surgery or SARS, vitamin C levels may be depleted so that it cannot perform its direct or indirect antioxidant functions or many other specific co-factor roles. in biochemical metabolism. This in turn can deplete other antioxidants, which can cause serious oxidative damage inside the cells that would otherwise be prevented.

Vitamin C is thought to be a prooxidant in selective cell types, which allows it to kill certain cell types, so it is given in high doses in intravenous therapy. This is used for some types of cancer, as well as in immune hyperinflammation.

ViroVit – Zinc

Zinc is an essential trace element that is crucial for the growth, development and maintenance of immune function. Regulation of zinc homeostasis both systemically and intracellularly indicates that zinc plays an important role in human health. Zinc in various forms (free compared to protein-bound) can stimulate various signaling events, including the antiviral response.

Zinc deficiency affects a quarter of the population in developing countries, but also affects different populations in the developed world as a result of lifestyle, age and disease-causing factors. Zinc status is primarily determined by dietary zinc intake; however, additional factors such as food composition, alcohol intake, and disease can significantly reduce zinc intake and storage, or increase zinc excretion. Phytate in the diet, which is present in corn, rice and cereals, can seriously limit the absorption of zinc. The rural diet in low-income countries is often poor in zinc and rich in phytates due to its nutritional reliance on rice and vegetables. Older people are also significantly more susceptible to zinc deficiency, which increases the likelihood of getting life-threatening viral infections.

Zinc – Antiviral effect

In vitro studies have shown that free zinc has strong antiviral effects, so zinc status is a critical factor that can affect antiviral immunity. Zinc treatment applied in a therapeutic dose and in the right form has the potential to improve the elimination of chronic and acute viral infections, as well as their accompanying pathologies and symptoms.

Various studies have shown that zinc has an inhibitory effect on the herpes simplex virus, HSV-1 and -2, as well as on the varicella-zoster virus. Zinc has also been shown to have an inhibitory effect on picornovirus. Viruses of this family can cause a number of diseases, including colds, polio, meningitis, hepatitis and paralysis. Clinical studies examining the effects of zinc supplements have primarily been related to rhinovirus infection and are often grouped with other “common cold” viruses, such as influenza and coronavirus. After analyzing the studies of relevant studies, it was found that the use of zinc leads to a reduction in the duration of colds. Several studies have examined the antiviral effects of zinc on other respiratory viruses and have shown its inhibitory effect on influenza viruses, coronavirus (SARS), respiratory syncytial virus.

In vitro studies have shown that zinc salts can reduce the replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). If left untreated, HCV becomes a chronic liver infection, leading to a significant reduction in plasma zinc. Zinc supplements can improve the response to HCV treatment and inflammation of the liver caused by chronic infection. In addition, long-term zinc treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma progression in chronic HCV patients.

Retroviruses are named after the ability to transcribe (translate) RNA into DNA using reverse transcriptase (RT), which allows the integration of retroviral DNA into the host genome. Zinc has been identified as an inhibitor of RT retrovirus. Zinc deficiency is associated with increased disease activity in the context of chronic viral infection, immune attenuation, and death. Zinc supplementation serves as adjunctive therapy with antiretroviral use in HIV patients. Oral zinc supplementation may act in a synergistic manner when administered concomitantly with antiviral therapy and contribute to the improvement of clinical outcomes.

HPV (human papilloma viruses) are oncogenic viruses that infect basal epithelial cells, where they stimulate proliferation resulting in warts. Although skin warts are usually harmless, strains of HPV on the mucosa (e.g., high-risk HPV-16 and -18) are the primary cause of cervical cancer. Zinc inhibits HPV oncogenic proteins leading to apoptosis (the process of programmed death) of cervical cancer cells. People with persistent viral warts often have zinc deficiency or have lower concentrations than healthy people. Local and oral zinc supplementation strategies have been shown to be extremely effective for skin and genital warts and therefore zinc supplementation is the most effective systemic treatment for skin warts.

ViroVit – Selenium

Selenium is a micromineral essential for many processes in the body. Viral and bacterial infections are often associated with a lack of macronutrients and micronutrients, including selenium. Current industrial agriculture and food processing processes promote the consumption of food with low nutrient content and rich energy, with a negative impact on a sufficient and balanced supply of macro and microelements. It is estimated that 2 billion people worldwide currently suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.

Dietary supplements (ViroVit) are used to provide an adequate supply of selenium to patients suffering from some viral diseases, especially when infected with HIV and influenza A virus (IAV). In addition, selenium-containing multimicronutrients improved several clinical and life variables in patients co-infected with HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Similar doses of selenium have been found to be effective in both infectious diseases and cancer prevention, as cancer and infectious diseases have similarities. Selenium status can affect cell function and adaptive and innate immunity.

Selenium – Antiviral effect

RNA viruses include human pathogenic viruses such as HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), influenza A virus (IAV) and poliovirus, as well as emerging viruses such as West Nile virus (WNV) and Ebola virus. Viral infection causes increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), while the biosynthesis of major antioxidant enzymes is reduced in infected cells. The production of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) has also increased. The imbalance in the production and removal of ROS / RNS results in oxidative / nitrosative stress, which can increase the replication (parasitic multiplication) of the virus, as well as the rate of mutation in the viral RNA genome, leading to increased host tissue damage. Selenium deficiency has been found to increase the pathogenicity and severity of infections with benign or mildly virulent strains of Coxsackie virus and influenza, leading to multiple changes in viral RNA. Selenium is important for strengthening immunity against viral infections and at the same time hinders the evolution of more virulent strains of some viral pathogens.

Untreated HIV infection (HIV-1 and HIV-2) causes progressive immune system failure, leading to AIDS. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has made HIV infection a chronic disease that can be controlled. Despite this progress, ART is expensive, does not completely restore the immune system and has significant side effects. Micronutrient deficiencies, including selenium, are prevalent in people living with HIV. Low plasma selenium concentrations were associated with accelerated progression of HIV disease and increased risk of mortality. There is evidence that selenium supplementation can delay the onset of AIDS and reduce the risk of comorbidities (associated diseases). This approach is especially promising when selenium is given in combination with other micronutrients.

Slow-growing gram-positive bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex cause tuberculosis, and due to the weakened cellular immune defense, people infected with HIV are at a special risk of developing tuberculosis and dying from it. Vitamin and selenium deficiency or marginal status is often seen in patients with tuberculosis with and without HIV co-infection.

Hepatitis C (HCV) infection is the main cause of chronic liver disease, and there is a high probability of HCV infection among HIV-infected patients. Plasma and erythrocyte selenium concentrations are significantly lower in HCV-infected patients than in healthy patients. HCV / HIV co-infected patients had lower serum selenium concentrations than HIV-infected patients without concomitant HCV infection.

ViroVit – Magnesium

Magnesium (Mg) is the second most abundant cation in cellular systems and performs a number of biological functions. There is also evidence that magnesium plays a key role in the immune response; that is, as a co-factor for immunoglobulin synthesis, C’3 convertase, immune cell adherence, antibody-dependent cytolysis, IgM lymphocyte binding, macrophage response to lymphokines, and T helper B cell adherence.

Magnesium promotes the functions of vitamin D, acting as a cofactor in several enzymes involved in the metabolism of vitamin D, and at the same time has the independent activity of bronchodilators and vasodilators.

X-linked immunodeficiency with magnesium defect, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and neoplasia (typically known by the acronym XMEN) is a disorder that affects the male immune system. In XMEN, certain types of immune system cells called T cells are reduced or do not function properly. Usually these cells recognize foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, and then turn on (activate) to attack these invaders to prevent infection and disease. Because men with XMEN do not have enough functional T cells, they have common infections, such as ear infections, sinus infections, and pneumonia.

EBV is a very common virus that infects more than 90 percent of the general population and in most cases goes unnoticed. Usually, after the initial infection, EBV remains in the body for the rest of a person’s life. However, the virus is generally inactive (latent) because it is controlled by T cells. In men with XMEN, T cells cannot control the virus, and EBV infection can lead to cancer of the cells of the immune system (lymphoma).

XMEN is caused by mutations in the MAGT1 gene. This gene gives instructions for creating a protein called the magnesium transporter, which moves charged magnesium atoms (ions) (Mg2 +) into certain T cells. In particular, the magnesium transporter produced by the MAGT1 gene is active in CD8 + T cells, which are particularly important in the control of viral infections such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). These cells normally take magnesium when they detect a foreign attacker, and magnesium is involved in activating the T cell response.

Magnesium transport can also be involved in the production of another type of T cell called helper T cells (CD4 + T cells) in a gland called the thymus. CD4 + T cells direct and aid immune system functions by influencing the activities of other immune system cells.

Mutations in the MAGT1 gene disrupt the function of the magnesium transporter, reducing the amount of magnesium that enters T cells. This lack of magnesium prevents the efficient activation of T cells to target EBV and other infections.

A detailed analysis of the antiviral and antibacterial properties of these ViroVit ingredients can be found in the following articles or links:

Vitamin D and the anti-viral state,  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3308600/,
Vitamin C and Infections, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409678/,
The Role of Zinc in Antiviral Immunity, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6628855/,
Dietary Selenium in Adjuvant Therapy of Viral and Bacterial Infections, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4288282/.