Volume 24, Issue 103, May - June, 2020

Spirulina ameliorates immunity and reduces viral load in beta-thalassemia major children comorbid with hepatitis virus C: A single-arm clinical trial

Mohamed Ramadan Elshanshory¹, Mohamed Labib Salem², Mohamed Attia Saad Attia³, Rasha Mohamed Gamal¹, Mostafa Mohamed El-Sheekh⁴, Asmaa Abobakr Elshahat⁵, Arwa MohammedShukri Turkistani⁶, Hala Abd El-Rahman Khattab^6,7, Basma Ghazi Eid⁸, Nagla Abd El-Aziz El-Shitany^8,9

¹Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
²Department of Immunology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University Tanta, Egypt
³Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
⁴Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
⁵Department of Pediatric, El Mahalla El Kobra Hospital, El Mahalla El Kobra, Egypt
⁶Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
⁷Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Helwan University, Egypt
⁸Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
⁹Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Patients with β-thalassemia major suffer from impaired function and components of the immune system. Hepatitis C virus infection exacerbates the inherited and acquired immunity of β-thalassemia patients. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of spirulina administration on the indicators of immunity, serum liver function, ferritin and viral load in children of β- thalassemia major comorbid with the hepatitis C virus. Methods: This study was a single-arm clinical trial carried on 60 children (30 healthy and 30 with β-thalassemia major and hepatitis C). Spirulina was administered daily for 3 months to patients only. Results: The results showed amelioration of the blood picture (HB, RBCs, and WBCs), ferritin level, blood transfusion intervals, liver enzymes (ALT and AST), viral load, and many of the immune markers (IFN-gamma, CD4+, and CD4+CD25+) after spirulina therapy. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that spirulina ameliorated hepatitis caused by virus C in children comorbid with β-thalassemia major disease. The mechanism may be via lowering serum ferritin levels and improved immunity.

Keywords: Spirulina, β-thalassemia, children, hepatitis virus C, clinical trial, immunity, ferritin

Medical Science, 2020, 24(103), 1142-1151

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