Prospects of Antiviral Drugs Derived from Natural Products: Targeting SARS-CoV Entry and Replication

Abstract

: The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its rapid spread from continent to continent pose a global health emergency. Researchers are making headway to combat the ongoing COVID-19 to prevent further losses. Many natural antiviral compounds have been explored for their potential application in treating viral infections, including those caused by SARS- and MERS-CoV. This review focuses on natural compounds that have been showing promising results against SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV, along with their mechanism of action. The entry and replication of CoV are among the major mechanism for the spread of COVID-19. In this context, natural compounds inhibiting the proteins essential for SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication in the nanomolar (nicotianamine) and micromolar (baicalin, baicalein, scutellarein, dihydromyricetin, quercetagetin, myricetin, amentoflavone, herbacetin, isobavachalcone, quercetin 3‐β‐d‐glucoside, helichrysetin, hirsutenone, hirsutanonol, oregonin, rubranol, rubranoside B, rubranoside A, tanshinones, emodin, and griffithsin) concentration could be potential sources of new anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.