Antiviral Effects of the Plant Family Amaryllidaceae

Abstract

Background In spite of the significant progress in modern medicine, viruses continue to be a formidable challenge to human health. The use of plants for the remediation of viral-borne diseases stretches back to the very dawn of mankind. Among bulbous plants, the Amaryllidaceae is one of the most popular families exploited in the traditional remediation of infectious diseases. Methods This account details the findings from a literature search carried out on the antiviral properties of the Amaryllidaceae. The keyword engaged in the search was “antiviral” in combination with the words “Amaryllidaceae,” “Amaryllidaceae specie,” and “Amaryllidaceae alkaloid.” Results Thirty-six taxa from 13 countries, notably in Africa and parts of Asia, have been cited as traditional remedies for viral diseases. Alcoholic bulb extracts of 18 species were evaluated against 23 different pathogens from 13 viral families. A wide range of activities was observed, with the whole-plant methanol extract of Zephyranthes candida seen to be the most striking (IC50 0.0019 µg/mL against poliovirus). The active principles in the main were isoquinoline alkaloids, of which lycorine impressed against the Avian influenza virus (strain H5N1). The mechanisms underlying the antiviral effects were seen to be related to the inhibition of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis as well as inhibitory effects toward reverse transcriptase and protease enzymes. Conclusion Amaryllidaceae provides a richly diverse platform for antiviral drug research. Such endeavors have been fortified by the significant amounts of information emerging from indigenous knowledge systems. Ongoing studies will continue to target the active entities, particularly from taxa with verifiable ethnomedicinal backgrounds.