Abstract
Viral infections and outbreaks have become a major concern and are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The development of successful antiviral therapeutics and vaccines remains a daunting challenge. The discovery of novel antiviral agents is a public health emergency, and extraordinary efforts are underway globally to identify safe and effective treatments for different viral diseases. Alkaloids are natural phytochemicals known for their biological activities, many of which have been intensively studied for their broad-spectrum of antiviral activities against different DNA and RNA viruses. The purpose of this review was to summarize the evidence supporting the efficacy of the antiviral activity of plant alkaloids at half-maximum effective concentration (EC50) or half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) below 10 μM and describe the molecular sites most often targeted by natural alkaloids acting against different virus families. This review highlights that considering the devastating effects of virus pandemics on humans, plants, and animals, the development of high efficiency and low-toxicity antiviral drugs targeting these viruses need to be developed. Furthermore, it summarizes the current research status of alkaloids as the source of antiviral drug development, their structural characteristics, and antiviral targets. Overall, the influence of alkaloids at the molecular level suggests a high degree of specificity which means they could serve as potent and safe antiviral agents waiting for evaluation and exploitation.
Highlights
Viral epidemics and pandemic diseases have threatened humanity historically and have had significant impacts on human society [1]
Viruses are known for serious infectious diseases they cause, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV), coronaviruses including Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) and extreme acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), influenza, smallpox, viral hemorrhagic fever (Ebola), dengue fever, and chikungunya virus [3,4]
We summarize the experimental evidence for the antiviral activity of natural alkaloids with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) or half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) below 10 μM
Summary
Viral epidemics and pandemic diseases have threatened humanity historically and have had significant impacts on human society [1]. Viruses, followed by some bacteria and protozoa, have been classified as the key pathogens causing human illnesses since 1973 [2]. New human virus species are still being detected, at a rate of three or four per year, and over two-thirds of all new human pathogens are viruses. A newly detected coronavirus-induced disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic in 2020 and has seriously affected the world population, resulting in over 216,074,000 infected cases and 4,496,998 deaths until 27 August 2021, with a notable upward trend [6]
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