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. 2020 Jul 25;112(6):4322–4331. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.07.033

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

Schematic representation of biotechnology and omics-based strategies for profiling and application of plant-based antiviral phytochemicals against COVID-19. It includes identification of the plant encoding the active molecule, purification and evaluation for its role against SARS-CoV2. The Omics-based approach helps in recognition of different biological components associated with the pathway of phytochemical synthesis. Initially, Genomic approach is used to detect the gene coding for the active molecule. This information can be used to identify the homologous genes from other plant species and for functional characterization of the gene. The transcriptomic and proteomic approach depicts the active pathways in the plant associated with the molecule production. The metabolomic approach is the primary tool for detecting the main bioactive compound and the biosynthetic pathway regulating its synthesis in the plant. The metabolite or protein identified by integration of these approaches is studied for its role against SARS-CoV2. This is achieved either by computational/bioinformatics-based docking between the active compound and virus encoded proteins followed by clinical trials or by purification of the phytochemical through chromatography followed by its clinical trial. Further, by applying biotechnology the concentration of these metabolites can be increased significantly. It includes developing stable transformations in plants or by expressing the synthesis machinery into a heterologous system or using transformed root cultures or through chemical modifications in the active molecule to increase its potency as an antiviral compound.