Abstract
The presence of resistance to available antivirals calls for the development of novel therapeutic agents. Plant-derived essential oils may serve as alternative sources of virus-induced disease therapy. Previous studies have demonstrated essential oils to be excellent candidates to treat antiviral-resistant infection associated with their chemical complexity which confers broad-spectrum mechanisms of action and non-specific antiviral properties. However, almost no comprehensive reviews are updated to generalize knowledge in this regard and disclose the interplay between the components and their antiviral activities. This review provides an up-to-date overview of the antiviral efficacy of essential oils from a wide range of plant species and their characteristic components, as well as their overall mechanisms of action, focusing on the last decade. The roles of individual components relative to the overall antiviral efficacy of essential oils, together with the antiviral activity of essential oils in comparison with commercial drugs are also discussed. Lastly, the inadequacies in current research and future research are put forward. This review will provide references in the design of new drug prototypes and improve our understanding of the proper applications of essential oils in the future.
Highlights
A virus is a small particle (20–300 nm) containing merely genetic substances wrapped with proteins and, sometimes, lipids [1]
essential oils (EOs) from five plant species (Zataria multiflora, Artemisia kermanensis, Eucalyptus caesia, Satureja hortensis, Rosmarinus officinalis) exhibited better anti-herpes viruses (HSV) activities than acyclovir [15]. These results suggest that EOs can be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of virus infection as well as prototypes for new antiviral drug selection
With the aid of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Gilling et al [21] found that murine norovirus exposed to 4% oregano EO expanded in size from 20–35 nm to 40–75 nm in diameter but appeared intact in morphology
Summary
A virus is a small particle (20–300 nm) containing merely genetic substances wrapped with proteins and, sometimes, lipids [1]. Virucidal effects of EOs extracted from numerous aromatic and herbal plants are well documented on a variety of viruses, such as IFV, HSV, HIV, yellow fever virus, and avian influenza, etc. EOs from five plant species (Zataria multiflora, Artemisia kermanensis, Eucalyptus caesia, Satureja hortensis, Rosmarinus officinalis) exhibited better anti-HSV activities than acyclovir [15]. These results suggest that EOs can be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of virus infection as well as prototypes for new antiviral drug selection. The antiviral effects of EOs relative to their components and commercial drugs, in particular, are inadequately reviewed and advances in EOs as antivirals are not updated. Animal-borne viruses are covered while phytoviruses are out the scope of the article
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