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Pharmaceuticals
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Antiviral Compounds in Medicinal Plants 2023
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Antiviral Compounds in Medicinal Plants 2023

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 May 2024 | Viewed by 9779

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniela De Vita

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: medicinal plants; alkaloids; phytochemistry; HPLC; LC-MS; antiviral agents; antifungal agents; anticancer agents; Alzheimer’s disease; cholinesterases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants have always been considered as a source of molecules useful for humans, and are still helpful in the discovery of new therapeutic agents. To date, a wide variety of extracts and/or natural compounds isolated from plants have been extensively evaluated against infections caused by viruses that can affect human health. Due to the emergence of drug-resistance or lack of vaccines, the search for new antiviral agents is needed. Authors are invited to submit original research articles, reviews, and short communications exploring recent advances in this field ranging from basic science to clinical studies. Topics include, but are not limited to, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of antiviral activities of plant extracts or compounds isolated from natural sources.

Dr. Daniela De Vita
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antiviral agents
  • viruses
  • medicinal plants
  • phytochemicals
  • natural compounds

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

27 pages, 5080 KiB  
Article
Myrtucommulones and Related Acylphloroglucinols from Myrtaceae as a Promising Source of Multitarget SARS-CoV-2 Cycle Inhibitors
by Simony Carvalho Mendonça, Brendo Araujo Gomes, Mariana Freire Campos, Thamirys Silva da Fonseca, Maria Eduarda Alves Esteves, Bruce Veiga Andriolo, Caio Felipe de Araujo Ribas Cheohen, Larissa Esteves Carvalho Constant, Stephany da Silva Costa, Pedro Telles Calil, Amanda Resende Tucci, Thamara Kelcya Fonseca de Oliveira, Alice dos Santos Rosa, Vivian Neuza dos Santos Ferreira, Julia Nilo Henrique Lima, Milene Dias Miranda, Luciana Jesus da Costa, Manuela Leal da Silva, Marcus Tullius Scotti, Diego Allonso, Gilda Guimarães Leitão and Suzana Guimarães Leitãoadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(4), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17040436 - 28 Mar 2024
Viewed by 802
Abstract
The LABEXTRACT plant extract bank, featuring diverse members of the Myrtaceae family from Brazilian hot spot regions, provides a promising avenue for bioprospection. Given the pivotal roles of the Spike protein and 3CLpro and PLpro proteases in SARS-CoV-2 infection, this study [...] Read more.
The LABEXTRACT plant extract bank, featuring diverse members of the Myrtaceae family from Brazilian hot spot regions, provides a promising avenue for bioprospection. Given the pivotal roles of the Spike protein and 3CLpro and PLpro proteases in SARS-CoV-2 infection, this study delves into the correlations between the Myrtaceae species from the Atlantic Forest and these targets, as well as an antiviral activity through both in vitro and in silico analyses. The results uncovered notable inhibitory effects, with Eugenia prasina and E. mosenii standing out, while E. mosenii proved to be multitarget, presenting inhibition values above 72% in the three targets analyzed. All extracts inhibited viral replication in Calu-3 cells (EC50 was lower than 8.3 µg·mL−1). Chemometric analyses, through LC-MS/MS, encompassing prediction models and molecular networking, identified potential active compounds, such as myrtucommulones, described in the literature for their antiviral activity. Docking analyses showed that one undescribed myrtucommulone (m/z 841 [M − H]−) had a higher fitness score when interacting with the targets of this study, including ACE2, Spike, PLpro and 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2. Also, the study concludes that Myrtaceae extracts, particularly from E. mosenii and E. prasina, exhibit promising inhibitory effects against crucial stages in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Compounds like myrtucommulones emerge as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents, warranting further exploration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral Compounds in Medicinal Plants 2023)
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21 pages, 6195 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Ayush-64 (a Polyherbal Formulation) and Its Ingredients in the Syrian Hamster Model for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reveals the Preventative Potential of Alstonia scholaris
by Zaigham Abbas Rizvi, Upasna Madan, Manas Ranjan Tripathy, Sandeep Goswami, Shailendra Mani, Amit Awasthi and Madhu Dikshit
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(9), 1333; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16091333 - 21 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1284
Abstract
In the current study, we evaluated the efficacy of Ayush-64 (A64), a polyherbal formulation containing Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. (A. scholaris), Caesalpinia crista L. (C. crista), Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth (P. kurroa), and Swertia chirata [...] Read more.
In the current study, we evaluated the efficacy of Ayush-64 (A64), a polyherbal formulation containing Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. (A. scholaris), Caesalpinia crista L. (C. crista), Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth (P. kurroa), and Swertia chirata (Roxb.) H. Karst. (S. chirata) against COVID-19 in a Syrian hamster infection model. Preventative use of A64 resulted in the late-phase recovery of body weight loss in severe acquired respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected hamsters, suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and blunted pulmonary pathology. In addition, we also investigated the efficacy of individual ingredients of A64, viz., A. scholaris, C. crista, P. kurroa, and S. chirata, in the hamster model. The hamster challenge data showed robust anti-viral and immunomodulatory potential in A. scholaris, followed by P. kurroa. However, C. crista and S. chirata of A64 showed prominent immunomodulatory potential without limiting the lung viral load. In order to better understand the immunomodulatory potential of these herbal extracts, we used an in vitro assay of helper T cell differentiation and found that A. scholaris mediated a more profound suppression of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cell differentiation as compared to A64 and other ingredients. Taken together, our animal study data identifies the ameliorative potential of A64 in mitigating coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pulmonary pathology. A. scholaris, a constituent extract of A64, showed relatively higher anti-viral and immunomodulatory potential against COVID-19. The present study warrants further investigations to identify the active pharmaceutical ingredients of A. scholaris for further studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral Compounds in Medicinal Plants 2023)
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13 pages, 1765 KiB  
Article
HIV-1 Integrase Inhibition Activity by Spiroketals Derived from Plagius flosculosus, an Endemic Plant of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France)
by Cinzia Sanna, Brigida D’Abrosca, Antonio Fiorentino, Federica Giammarino, Ilaria Vicenti, Angela Corona, Alessia Caredda, Enzo Tramontano and Francesca Esposito
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(8), 1118; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16081118 - 08 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 867
Abstract
In this work we investigated, for the first time, the effect of Plagius flosculosus (L.) Alavi & Heywood, a Sardinian–Corsican endemic plant, on HIV-1 integrase (IN) activity. The phytochemical analysis of the leaves chloroform extract led us to isolate and characterize three compounds [...] Read more.
In this work we investigated, for the first time, the effect of Plagius flosculosus (L.) Alavi & Heywood, a Sardinian–Corsican endemic plant, on HIV-1 integrase (IN) activity. The phytochemical analysis of the leaves chloroform extract led us to isolate and characterize three compounds (SPK1, SPK2, and SPK3) belonging to the spiroketals, a group of naturally occurring metabolites of phytochemical relevance with interesting biological properties. Due to their structural diversity, these cyclic ketals have attracted the interest of chemists and biologists. SPK1, SPK2, and SPK3 were evaluated here for their ability to inhibit HIV-1 integrase activity in biochemical assays. The results showed that all the compounds inhibited HIV-1 IN activity. In particular, the most active one was SPK3, which interfered in a low molecular range (IC50 of 1.46 ± 0.16 µM) with HIV-1 IN activity in the presence/absence of the LEDGF cellular cofactor. To investigate the mechanism of action, the three spiroketals were also tested on HIV-1 RT-associated Ribonuclease H (RNase H) activity, proving to be active in inhibiting this function. Although SPK3 was unable to inhibit viral replication in cell culture, it promoted the IN multimerization. We hypothesize that SPK3 inhibited HIV-1 IN through an allosteric mechanism of action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral Compounds in Medicinal Plants 2023)
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13 pages, 6555 KiB  
Article
Inhibitors of HIV-1 and Cathepsin L Proteases Identified from the Insect Gall of Hypericum kouytchense
by Bo Wen Pan, Jun Wei Xiao, Su Mei Li, Xin Yang, Xia Zhou, Qing Wen Sun, Mei Chen, Shou Xia Xie, Meena Kishore Sakharkar, Jian Yang, Ying Zhou and Ying Wei
Pharmaceuticals 2022, 15(12), 1499; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15121499 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1354
Abstract
Hypericum kouytchense Lévl is a semi-evergreen plant of the Hypericaceae family. Its roots and seeds have been used in a number of traditional remedies for antipyretic, detoxification, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiviral functions. However, to date, no bioactivity compounds have been characterized from the [...] Read more.
Hypericum kouytchense Lévl is a semi-evergreen plant of the Hypericaceae family. Its roots and seeds have been used in a number of traditional remedies for antipyretic, detoxification, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiviral functions. However, to date, no bioactivity compounds have been characterized from the insect gall of H. kouytchens. In this study, we evaluated the antiviral activities of different extracts from the insect gall of H. kouytchen against cathepsin L, HIV-1 and renin proteases and identified the active ingredients using UPLC–HRMS. Four different polar extracts (HW, H30, H60 and H85) of the H. kouytchense insect gall exhibited antiviral activities with IC50 values of 10.0, 4.0, 3.2 and 17.0 µg/mL against HIV-1 protease; 210.0, 34.0, 24.0 and 30.0 µg/mL against cathepsin L protease; and 180.0, 65.0, 44.0 and 39.0 µg/mL against human renin, respectively. Ten compounds were identified and quantified in the H. kouytchense insect gall extracts. Epicatechin, eriodictyol and naringenin chalcone were major ingredients in the extracts with contents ranging from 3.9 to 479.2 µg/mg. For HIV-1 protease, seven compounds showed more than 65% inhibition at a concentration of 1000.0 µg/mL, especially for hypericin and naringenin chalcone with IC50 values of 1.8 and 33.0 µg/mL, respectively. However, only hypericin was active against cathepsin L protease with an IC50 value of 17100.0 µg/mL, and its contents were from 0.99 to 11.65 µg/mg. Furthermore, we attempted to pinpoint the interactions between the active compounds and the proteases using molecular docking analysis. Our current results imply that the extracts and active ingredients could be further formulated and/or developed for potential prevention and treatment of HIV or SARS-CoV-2 infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral Compounds in Medicinal Plants 2023)
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Review

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25 pages, 1135 KiB  
Review
Natural Products for the Prevention and Treatment of Common Cold and Viral Respiratory Infections
by Nour Mammari, Quentin Albert, Marc Devocelle, Maša Kenda, Nina Kočevar Glavač, Marija Sollner Dolenc, Laura Mercolini, Jaroslav Tóth, Nagy Milan, Szilvia Czigle, Mihayl Varbanov and on behalf of the OEMONOM
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(5), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16050662 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4625
Abstract
The common cold is generally considered a usually harmless infectious disease of the upper respiratory pathway, with mostly mild symptoms. However, it should not be overlooked, as a severe cold can lead to serious complications, resulting in hospitalization or death in vulnerable patients. [...] Read more.
The common cold is generally considered a usually harmless infectious disease of the upper respiratory pathway, with mostly mild symptoms. However, it should not be overlooked, as a severe cold can lead to serious complications, resulting in hospitalization or death in vulnerable patients. The treatment of the common cold remains purely symptomatic. Analgesics as well as oral antihistamines or decongestants may be advised to relieve fever, and local treatments can clear the airways and relieve nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, or sneezing. Certain medicinal plant specialties can be used as therapy or as complementary self-treatment. Recent scientific advances discussed in more detail in this review have demonstrated the plant’s efficiency in the treatment of the common cold. This review presents an overview of plants used worldwide in the treatment of cold diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral Compounds in Medicinal Plants 2023)
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