The Antiviral Activity of Polyphenols

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Virology
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Polyphenols are diverse plant-derived secondary metabolites with broad applications.
• Their antiviral properties are increasingly recognized, especially against resistant viruses like herpes and hepatitis B.
• Enveloped viruses pose significant public health challenges, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review promising antiviral polyphenols and their mechanisms of action.
• To focus on polyphenols targeting clinically important enveloped viruses.
• To highlight the potential of polyphenols as alternative or supportive antiviral agents.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on polyphenol antiviral activity.
• Analysis of mechanisms of action against various virus types (DNA and RNA viruses).
• Focus on enveloped viruses of clinical significance.

Main Results:

• Polyphenols interfere with multiple stages of the viral life cycle, including adsorption and release.
• Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and resveratrol are highlighted as key antiviral polyphenols.
• Evidence supports the efficacy of polyphenols against double-stranded DNA, negative-sense RNA, and positive-sense RNA viruses.

Conclusions:

• Polyphenols represent a valuable resource for developing novel antiviral therapies.
• Their broad-spectrum activity and ability to target viral replication steps are promising.
• The findings underscore the relevance of polyphenols in combating viral outbreaks, as seen with COVID-19.