Role of medicinal plants in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 and in the management of post-COVID-19 complications
Authors
Pulok Mukherjee
aInstitute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Imphal-795001, India
Pardeep Bhardwaj
aInstitute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Imphal-795001, India
Nanaocha Sharma
aInstitute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Imphal-795001, India
Pradip Debnath
cSchool of Natural Product Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata -700 032, India
Seha Singha
cSchool of Natural Product Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata -700 032, India
Suparna Ghosh
cSchool of Natural Product Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata -700 032, India
Amit Kar
aInstitute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Imphal-795001, India
Bhaskar Das
cSchool of Natural Product Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata -700 032, India
Thomas Efferth
bDepartment of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Pallab Haldar
cSchool of Natural Product Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata -700 032, India
Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Traditional system of medicine, Inflammatory cytokines, Immunomodulation, Phytochemicals
Abstract
The worldwide corona virus disease outbreak, generally known as COVID-19 pandemic outbreak resulted in a major health crisis globally. The morbidity and transmission modality of COVID-19 appear more severe and uncontrollable. The respiratory failure and following cardiovascular complications are the main pathophysiology of this deadly disease. Several therapeutic strategies are put forward for the development of safe and effective treatment against SARS-CoV-2 virus from the pharmacological view point but till date there are no specific treatment regimen developed for this viral infection.
Purpose
The present review emphasizes the role of herbs and herbs-derived secondary metabolites in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 virus and also for the management of post-COVID-19 related complications. This approach will foster and ensure the safeguards of using medicinal plant resources to support the healthcare system. Plant-derived phytochemicals have already been reported to prevent the viral infection and to overcome the post-COVID complications like parkinsonism, kidney and heart failure, liver and lungs injury and mental problems. In this review, we explored mechanistic approaches of herbal medicines and their phytocomponenets as antiviral and post-COVID complications by modulating the immunological and inflammatory states.
Study design
Studies related to diagnosis and treatment guidelines issued for COVID-19 by different traditional system of medicine were included. The information was gathered from pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions approaches. The gathered information sorted based on therapeutic application of herbs and their components against SARSCoV-2 and COVID-19 related complications.
Methods
A systemic search of published literature was conducted from 2003 to 2021 using different literature database like Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science to emphasize relevant articles on medicinal plants against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and Post-COVID related complications.
Results
Collected published literature from 2003 onwards yielded with total 625 articles, from more than 18 countries. Among these 625 articles, more than 95 medicinal plants and 25 active phytomolecules belong to 48 plant families. Reports on the therapeutic activity of the medicinal plants belong to the Lamiaceae family (11 reports), which was found to be maximum reported from 4 different countries including India, China, Australia, and Morocco. Other reports on the medicinal plant of Asteraceae (7 reports), Fabaceae (8 reports), Piperaceae (3 reports), Zingiberaceae (3 reports), Ranunculaceae (3 reports), Meliaceae (4 reports) were found, which can be explored for the development of safe and efficacious products targeting COVID-19.
Conclusion
Keeping in mind that the natural alternatives are in the priority for the management and prevention of the COVID-19, the present review may help to develop an alternative approach for the management of COVID-19 viral infection and post-COVID complications from a mechanistic point of view.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Traditional system of medicine, Inflammatory cytokines, Immunomodulation, Phytochemicals
Abbreviations: 3CL, Pro-3-chymotrypsin-like protease; ACE-2, Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; AYUSH, Ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy; Bcl-xL, B-cell lymphoma-extra large; BH3, Bcl-2 homology 3; CD, Cluster of differentiation; CFR, Case fatality rate; COVID-19, Coronavirus disease 2019; CSIR, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, DNA, Deoxyribonucleic acid; FDA, Food and Drug Administration, IFNγ, Interferon gamma, IL, Interleukin; IP10, Inducible protein 10; MCP1, Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; NF-κB, Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; PLpro, Papain-like protease; RdRp, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase; RNA, Ribonucleic acid; SARS-CoV, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus; TCM, Traditional Chinese medicine; Th1, T helper type 1; WHO, World Health Organization
Author Biography
Pulok Mukherjee, aInstitute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Imphal-795001, India
cSchool of Natural Product Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata -700 032, India
Click on "Archives" to access the full archive of scientific preprints. You may use the categories and the search functionality to find select preprints you're interested in.