Polydatin and COVID-19

Dear Editor,

I would like to share ideas on the publication “Polydatin and its potential protective effect on COVID-19”. Bonucci et al. concluded that “it is reasonable to suggest the phytochemical polydatin as preventative (co-) treatment for individual at risk of COVID-19, as (asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic) relatives and contacts of swap positive confirmed case [1].” The advantage of plant derived natural products for managing COVID-19 is interesting. Polygonum Cuspidatum is a general plant in many Asian countries (such as China, Korea and Japan) [2]. This crop is a part of many local foods. The plant is proven for possible gastrointestinal cytoprotective effect but the antiviral properties are not well demonstrated [2]. If the plant has any protective effect, there should be some reports on low incidence in those Asian countries but there are many COVID-19 infected cases in those countries. Theoretically, if a herb might be useful for managing COVID-19, there should be a biolocal process induced by the plant that can directly manipulate the pathobiological process of the pathogenic virus. The good examples are reported in many herbal plants [3]. For Polygonum Cuspidatum, there is still no identified mechanism that is proven useful containment of the viral disease.

Conflict of interest

None.