Title:Systematic Review on Major Antiviral Phytocompounds from Common
Medicinal Plants against SARS-CoV-2
Volume: 20
Issue: 6
Author(s): Suvendu Ghosh, Partha Sarathi Singha, Lakshmi Kanta Das and Debosree Ghosh*
Affiliation:
- Department of Physiology, Government General Degree College, Kharagpur II, P.O Madpur, Dist,
Paschim Medinipur, Pin: 721149, West Bengal, India
Keywords:
Virus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, vaccine, antiviral compounds, pandemic, phytocompounds.
Abstract:
Background: Viral infections are rising around the globe and with evolving virus types
and increasing varieties of viral invasions; the human body is developing antimicrobial resistance
continuously. This is making the fight of mankind against viruses weak and unsecured. On the
other hand, changing lifestyle, globalization and human activities adversely affecting the environment
are opening up risks for new viral predominance on human race. In this context the world has
witnessed the pandemic of the human Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recently. The disease is
caused by the Coronavirus namely Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-
2).
Methods and Materials: Developing potential and effective vaccine is also time consuming and
challenging. The huge resource of plants around us has rich source of potent antiviral compounds.
Some of these molecules may serve as tremendously potent lead molecules whose slight structural
modifications may give us highly bioactive antiviral derivatives of phytocompounds. Every geographical
region is rich in unique plant biodiversity and hence every corner of the world with rich
plant biodiversity can serve as abode for potential magical phytocompounds most of which have
not been extensively explored for development of antiviral drug formulations against various viruses
like the HIV, HPV etc., and the Coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 which causes the
disease COVID-19.
Results: Several phytocompounds from various medicinal plants have already been screened using
in silico tools and some of them have yielded promising results establishing themselves as potent
lead molecules for development of drugs against the highly mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus and thus
these phytocompounds may be beneficial in treating COVID-19 and help human to win the life
threatening battle against the deadly virus.
Conclusion: The best advantage is that these phytocompounds being derived from nature in most
of the cases, come with minimum or no side effects compared to that of chemically synthesized
conventional bioactive compounds and are indigenously available hence are the source of cost
effective drug formulations with strong therapeutic potentials.
