Alkaloids as potential antivirals. A comprehensive review

Abstract

Alkaloids are a diverse group of natural phytochemicals. These phytochemicals in plants provide them protection against pests, and herbivorous organisms and also control their development. Numerous of these alkaloids have a variety of biological effects, and some have even been developed into medications with different medicinal properties. This review aims to provide a broad overview of the numerous naturally occurring alkaloids (isolated from both terrestrial and aquatic species) along with synthetically produced alkaloid compounds having prominent antiviral properties. Previous reviews on this subject have focused on the biological actions of both natural and synthetic alkaloids, but they have not gone into comprehensive detail about their antiviral properties. We reviewed here several antiviral alkaloids that have been described in the literature in different investigational environments i.e. (in-vivo, in-ovo, in-vitro, and in-silico), and found that these alkaloid compounds have significant antiviral properties against several infectious viruses. These alkaloids repressed and targeted various important stages of viral infection at non-toxic doses while some of the alkaloids reported here also exhibited comparable inhibitory activities to commercially used drugs. Overall, these anti-viral effects of alkaloids point to a high degree of specificity, implying that they could serve as effective and safe antiviral medicines if further pursued in medicinal and pharmacological investigations.

Stixis scandensleaf extract-loading ZnO nanoparticles for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) treatment

“…Homoharringtonine, another alkaloid—even completely suppressed PEDV infection at a concentration of 500 nM. 52 Polyphenols such as EGCG require higher concentrations to inhibit PEDV (EC 50 = 83.18 μM). 53 …”

Computational Screening of Neuropilin‐1 Unveils Novel Potential Anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 Therapeutics

“…Furthermore, CNP0427474 is structurally similar to vinorelbine, a therapeutic for influenza B. CNP0424372 is structurally similar to strychnine, an experimental drug for the central nervous system against convulsion. In addition, CNP0424372, an alkaloid, has demonstrated activity against the dengue virus, with an EC 50 value of 8.8 μg/mol [54] . Furthermore, triterpenes such as CNP0435311 are well‐recognized for their antiviral properties [55] with CNP0435311 being structurally similar to Phlorizin an active compound against measles virus [56] .…”

“…In addition, CNP0424372, an alkaloid, has demonstrated activity against the dengue virus, with an EC 50 value of 8.8 μg/mol. [54] Furthermore, triterpenes such as CNP0435311 are well-recognized for their antiviral properties [55] with CNP0435311 being structurally similar to Phlorizin an active compound against measles virus. [56] CNP0429647, a derivative of anthraquinones have been reported to possess antiviral activity.…”

Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for the Delivery of Drugs Obtained from Natural Products

“…These molecules have a wide range of biological activities, including antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral activities, etc. [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. However, there are characteristics such as low solubility, instability, and low bioavailability in vivo.…”