Polyphenols and their potential role to fight viral diseases: An overview

Abstract

Fruits, vegetables, spices, and herbs are a potential source of phenolic acids and polyphenols. These compounds are known as natural by-products or secondary metabolites of plants, which are present in the daily diet and provide important benefits to the human body such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-allergic, antihypertensive and antiviral properties, among others. Plentiful evidence has been provided on the great potential of polyphenols against different viruses that cause widespread health problems. As a result, this review focuses on the potential antiviral properties of some polyphenols and their action mechanism against various types of viruses such as coronaviruses, influenza, herpes simplex, dengue fever, and rotavirus, among others. Also, it is important to highlight the relationship between antiviral and antioxidant activity that can contribute to the protection of cells and tissues of the human body. The wide variety of action mechanisms of antiviral agents such as polyphenols against viral infections could be applied as a treatment or prevention strategy, because at the same time, antiviral polyphenols can be used to produce natural antiviral natural drugs. A recent example of an antiviral polyphenol application deals with the use of hesperidin extracted from Citrus sinensis . The action mechanism of hesperidin relies on its binding to the key entry or spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Finally, the extraction, purification and recovery of polyphenols with potential antiviral activity, which are essential for virus replication and infection without side-effects, have been critically reviewed.

Polyethylene Films Coated with Antibacterial and Antiviral Layers Based on CO2 Extracts of Raspberry Seeds, of Pomegranate Seeds and of Rosemary

“…Rosemary plant extracts and raspberry and pomegranate fruit extracts which contain many of the active compounds mentioned above, were found to be active against viruses [17,18]. Rosmarinic acid from rosemary extracts showed inhibitory effects on SARS-CoV-2 [17].…”

“…Luteolin from rosemary showed activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2. Kaempferol from berry fruits was found to be active against coronaviruses [18].…”

Protective Role of Combined Polyphenols and Micronutrients against Influenza A Virus and SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro

“…Polyphenols are bioactive compounds derived from plants and produced as secondary metabolites [ 4 ]. Besides their established antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, several studies demonstrated their significant protection against viruses and several pathogens, including the Epstein–Barr and herpes simplex viruses [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. We have already demonstrated the ability of resveratrol in inhibiting the replication of influenza A virus [ 8 ], and recent research in this field demonstrates that various types of polyphenols, such as resveratrol and pterostilbene, are promising antiviral compounds to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 9 ]; indeed, other research aligns perfectly with these results [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Natural Products for the Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Sustainable Bioresources

“…Research related to the management of the disease has culminated in a record number of publications, including a significant amount of work investigating natural compounds in the context of COVID-19. To date, relevant secondary (review) studies have focused either on natural products with known antiviral properties associated with other viral infections (in the sense that some of these properties may render them effective against COVID-19) ( Dejani et al, 2021 ; Ebob et al, 2021 ) or were not focused on single classes of compounds ( da Silva, 2021 ; Ghidoli et al, 2021 ; Khazeei Tabari et al, 2021 ; Kowalczyk et al, 2021 ; Montenegro-Landivar et al, 2021 ) or elaborated on synthetic antiviral regimens ( Shah et al, 2021 ). To the authors best knowledge, a review summarizing the evidence about natural products of different classes on COVID-19 has not been published so far.…”