Traditional herbs against COVID-19: back to old weapons to combat the new pandemic

Abstract

Background Recently, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a chief public health disaster caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). There are no established effective preventive or therapeutic anti-COVID-19 drugs available except for some recently approved vaccines. Still, countless recent studies recommend various alternative and complementary approaches against COVID-19, which are medicinal herbs employed as traditional remedies to enhance immunity to struggle with viral infections. In addition, physicians worldwide are highly interested in vitamin and mineral supplements to help them combat COVID-19 either through protection or treatment. Dietary supplements specifically vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc provide good prophylactic and therapeutic support to the presently available treatment regimens. In the present work, we have focused on plant-based remedies with promising anti-COVID-19 activities. Aim To enable investigators and researchers to identify potential herbal compounds with anti-COVID activity to be used as promising therapies to combat this pandemic. Main body This review highlights the recently published studies concerning natural traditional herbs, herbal bioactive metabolites, dietary supplements, and functional foods that could help prevent and/or treat COVID-19. Herein, we explored medicinal herbs as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 and discussed how these studies help form larger discussions of diet and disease. Moreover, by investigating the herbal bioactive components, we have outlined several medicinal herbs that can fight against COVID-19 by hindering SARS-CoV-2 replication and entry to its host cells, deterring the cytokine storm, and several other means. Finally, we have summarized various herbal products, functional foods, and dietary supplements with potent bioactive compounds which can inhibit and/or prevent COVID-19 disease progression. Conclusions Based on the studies reviewed in this work, it was concluded with no doubt that phytochemical components present in various herbs could have a starring role in the deterrence and cure of coronavirus contagion.

SIRT1 pathway in Parkinson’s disease: a faraway snapshot but so close

“…Aging-mediated reduction expression of lamin A protein promotes degeneration of DNs in the midbrain with increasing DNs loss and development of PD. Notably, there is an overlap in cellular and molecular alterations of lamin A protein in both PD and Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome which develops due to a deficiency of lamin A protein (Al-Kuraishy et al 2022 ). It has been shown that a reduction in the activity of neuronal lamin A protein is associated with motor circuit disturbances due to a defect in DN neurotransmission.…”

“…This may explain motor dysfunction associated with aging due to a reduction in the functional activity of lamin A protein. Therefore, age-mediated reduction in lamin A protein activity could be the main cause for the reduction of SIRT1 activity with subsequent development of degenerative brain diseases like PD (Al-Kuraishy et al 2022 ). Despite this significant importance regarding the role of lamin A protein, little is known regarding lamin A protein analogs or agonists.…”

Plants as Biofactories for Therapeutic Proteins and Antiviral Compounds to Combat COVID-19

“…This is because many drugs in use are either plant materials or derived from their bioactive compounds. There is a remarkable prospect of discovering anti-COVID-19 from medicinal plants [ 123 ].…”

“…PSMs from three major classes: alkaloids, polyphenols and terpenoids/terpenes, have shown activities in preventing and treating COVID-19 infections [ 123 ].…”

“…Polyphenols show antiviral activities using diverse mechanisms, including intercalating into nucleic acid and inhibiting the activity of protease, helicase and RdRp [ 152 , 153 ]. This is because the hydroxyl group of polyphenols can interact with the positively charged amino groups of proteins and consequently destroy the three-dimensional structure of the protein [ 123 ]. In silico analysis revealed that polyphenols can inhibit the Mpro protease and RdRp of SARS-CoV-2 effectively [ 154 ].…”