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Natural and semisynthetic candidate molecules for COVID-19 prophylaxis and treatment

Andrei Biţă1, Ion Romulus Scorei, Laurenţiu Mogoantă

  • 1BioBoron Research Institute, S.C. Natural Research S.R.L., Podari, Dolj County, Romania; romulus_ion@yahoo.com.

Romanian Journal of Morphology and Embryology = Revue Roumaine De Morphologie Et Embryologie
|February 5, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Natural products show promise for treating and preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This review highlights candidate molecules derived from nature, building on their success in previous coronavirus outbreaks.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Pharmacology
  • Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

  • Coronaviruses (CoVs) cause significant human respiratory, systemic, and enteric infections.
  • Limited effective antiviral treatments and vaccines exist for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
  • Previous CoV outbreaks (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV) saw the use of natural product-based antivirals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review natural and semisynthetic compounds as potential treatments for COVID-19.
  • To emphasize the therapeutic potential of natural products against coronaviruses.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing studies on natural products and coronaviruses.
  • Analysis of experimental evidence for antiviral properties of natural compounds.
  • Focus on candidate molecules for COVID-19 prophylaxis and treatment.

Main Results:

  • Natural products have a history of use in combating CoV infections.
  • Experimental data supports the potential of natural compounds against SARS-CoV-2.
  • A wide range of natural molecules show promise for COVID-19 management.

Conclusions:

  • Nature offers significant potential for developing novel COVID-19 treatments.
  • Natural and semisynthetic compounds are viable candidates for COVID-19 prophylaxis and therapy.
  • Further research into natural products could address the current therapeutic gap for COVID-19.

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