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Review
. 2022 Sep;75(3):476-499.
doi: 10.1111/lam.13637. Epub 2022 Jan 25.

Antiviral plant-derived natural products to combat RNA viruses: Targets throughout the viral life cycle

Lucy Owen  1 , Katie Laird  1 , Maitreyi Shivkumar  1
Affiliations
Review

Antiviral plant-derived natural products to combat RNA viruses: Targets throughout the viral life cycle

Lucy Owen et al. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

There is a need for new effective antivirals, particularly in response to the development of antiviral drug resistance and emerging RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Plants are a significant source of structurally diverse bioactive compounds for drug discovery suggesting that plant-derived natural products could be developed as antiviral agents. This article reviews the antiviral activity of plant-derived natural products against RNA viruses, with a focus on compounds targeting specific stages of the viral life cycle. A range of plant extracts and compounds have been identified with antiviral activity, often against multiple virus families suggesting they may be useful as broad-spectrum antiviral agents. The antiviral mechanism of action of many of these phytochemicals is not fully understood and there are limited studies and clinical trials demonstrating their efficacy and toxicity in vivo. Further research is needed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of plant-derived natural products as antiviral agents.

Keywords: RNA virus; antiviral; drug discovery; mechanism of action; natural product; phytochemical; plant.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Stages of the viral life cycle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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