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. 2021 Nov 1;59(11):959–977. doi: 10.1007/s12275-021-1467-z

Phytochemicals for the treatment of COVID-19

Erica Españo 1, Jiyeon Kim 1, Kiho Lee 1, Jeong-Ki Kim 1,✉
PMCID: PMC8559138  PMID: 34724178

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored the lack of approved drugs against acute viral diseases. Plants are considered inexhaustible sources of drugs for several diseases and clinical conditions, but plant-derived compounds have seen little success in the field of antivirals. Here, we present the case for the use of compounds from vascular plants, including alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins, as antivirals, particularly for the treatment of COVID-19. We review current evidence for the use of these phytochemicals against SARS-CoV-2 infection and present their potential targets in the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle.

Keywords: antivirals, alkaloids, coronaviruses, COVID-19, flavonoids, phytochemicals, natural products, SARS-CoV-2

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Korea University Grant (K211-2821). Figure 1 was adapted from the “Life Cycle of Coronavirus” from BioRender.com.

Footnotes

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

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