Plant Cell and Callus Cultures as an Alternative Source of Bioactive Compounds with Therapeutic Potential against Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Abstract

Plant cell and callus cultures are important tools for the mass production of bioactive compounds (secondary metabolites) from plants cell or tissue under a controlled environment. From past few decades the bioactive compounds assumed to play a key role in the development of novel drugs against several viral diseases, causing serious threat and even death to thousands of human lives. The recent, pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak upraised the importance of developing an effective therapeutic drug or vaccine as quick as possible to treat or prevent further spread. The research studies are in progress to find coronavirus therapeutics among existing antiviral drugs. Of these drugs, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have emerged as frontrunners and shown early promising results in treating COVID-19 in both in vitro and in vivo studies. However, these drugs have adverse side-effects and they became ineffectual due to eventual drug-resistance. Research is continuing by several means in search of potential therapeutics with minimal side-effects. The natural bioactive compounds from a plant sources generally have minimal toxicity can exert inhibitory capacity against coronavirus is of great interest. Up to now, various phytochemical compounds, namely arctiin, scutellarin, forsythoside, kaempferol, secoxyloganin, nicotianamine, saikosaponin, reported to have anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. The mechanism of action appears to be inhibiting virus replication and blocking viral infection. Due to time taking cultivation, expensive extraction and isolation of bioactive constituents, it is essential to develop alternative techniques for the mass production of bioactive compounds in a less timeframe using in vitro methods of plant cell and callus culture methods. In the present work, we highlighted the importance of modern biotechnological approaches including cell or tissue or callus culture methods and plant-based antiviral compounds currently being tested to treat novel coronavirus.