Immune Defenses and the Need for New Natural Remedies
With the arrival of the cold season, interest in formulations capable of supporting the immune system grows significantly. Consumers are looking for effective, evidence-based natural remedies. Meanwhile companies in the sector are challenged to develop truly distinctive supplementation strategies that combine biological efficacy, safety, and scientific robustness.
In recent years, research has highlighted the need to go beyond traditional approaches to immune support, prioritizing mechanisms that act physiologically on cellular function and the integrity of the body’s barriers. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic further accelerated this process, emphasizing the urgency of identifying new natural remedies with high technological value. From this awareness, SPIN – SPermidin and Eugenol INtegrator was born. This is a European project funded by EIT Food under the EU’s Crisis Response Initiative, in which TGD actively participated in the formulation of a dietary supplement dedicated to immune support.
Scientific Rationale Behind the SPIN Project
The SPIN project was coordinated by the University of Bologna, with participation, alongside Targeting Gut Disease, from IMDEA Food, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Molino Naldoni and Xeda. The ambitious goal was to formulate a nutraceutical product capable of supporting the immune system through synergistic and complementary mechanisms.
How Eugedin Complex Works
Activation of Cellular Autophagy
Autophagy is a physiological cellular “recycling” process through which cells remove damaged components, maintaining metabolic balance and functional efficiency. This mechanism plays a key role in the antiviral response, contributing both to the degradation of intracellular pathogens and to the modulation of inflammation.
Because of its importance in immune defense, autophagy is a target for multiple viral strategies. During some viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus has been observed to block autophagy. This interfered with essential metabolic pathways and favored its own replication. Specifically, SARS-CoV-2 alters the function of key genes and reduces intracellular levels of spermidine, a polyamine essential for autophagy activation.
Exogenous supplementation with spermidine, obtained from concentrated wheat germ extract, has been shown to reactivate autophagic flux and reduce viral propagation by up to 85% in vitro. The combination of this extract with clove bud essential oil further enhances autophagy activation. This effect is mediated by stimulation of pathways critical for lysosomal biogenesis and antiviral response. Through this mechanism, spermidine helps maintain cellular efficiency while supporting both innate immunity and the durability of the adaptive immune response.
Natural Remedies with Antiviral and Anti-Inflammatory Activity
Clove bud essential oil, rich in eugenol, is an ingredient of high interest for the formulation of products supporting immune defenses. Eugenol can damage the viral envelope of newly formed virions. This way it is able to reduce replication during the early stages of infection and to provide a potent antiviral activity. Its effectiveness also extends to various DNA and RNA viruses (such as herpesviruses and orthomyxoviruses) and numerous opportunistic bacteria, potentially useful in preventing secondary bacterial infections in immunocompromised individuals.
In addition to its antiviral action, eugenol exhibits strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It can interfere with key players in inflammatory pathways, including NF-κB, COX-2, iNOS, and TNF-α, while reducing the production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6) and prostaglandins. At the same time, it positively influences the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. This helps to control the chronic oxidative stress associated with many inflammatory conditions.
This dual action — antiviral and anti-inflammatory — makes clove bud essential oil a functional phytocomplex of high value for the formulation of supplements aimed at maintaining respiratory tract functionality and systemic protection.
Maintenance of Intestinal Barrier Integrity
The intestinal mucosa represents the largest immune tissue in the body. Approximately 70% of immune activity is mediated by the GALT (Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue). When the intestinal barrier loses integrity — a condition often associated with chronic inflammation and viral infections — permeability increases, allowing antigens and endotoxins to enter systemic circulation.
This can create a vicious cycle of inflammation and dysbiosis, potentially compromising immune responses. The combination of wheat germ and clove bud essential oil in Eugedin Complex® helps preserve intestinal barrier functionality, thanks to its modulatory effect on the microbiota and its antioxidant and cytoprotective activity on the epithelium.
The synergy of these mechanisms lies at the heart of the scientific rationale behind SPIN and the formulation of Eugedin Complex, representing a formulation approach that integrates research and applied physiology, offering new perspectives for the development of immune-supporting supplements based on solid, innovative biological mechanisms.
