COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case for Phytomedicines

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infection caused by a newly discovered coronavirus which was identified in Wuhan, China. The race is on globally to repurpose drugs for COVID-19 and develop a safe and effective vaccine against the disease. There is an urgent need to search for effective remedies against COVID-19 from the rich and extensive flora of Africa and the world. A literature search was conducted to obtain information on drugs with the potential for effectiveness in the treatment of COVID-19 based mostly on outcomes of preclinical studies and a few clinical investigations. This was considered important to this perspective as some of the identified mechanisms of action may be related to potential anti-COVID-19 actions of phytomedicines. The findings from the literature search were also used to establish the need for exploration of phytomedicines in the fight against COVID-19. This perspective identifies the need to preserve the rich tradition of herbal medicine in Africa, repositioning it by inculcating all aspects of discovery, development, and chemical evaluation of pharmaceuticals from medicinal plants for effective management of prevalent diseases. The identified mechanisms of action of current drugs under consideration for the treatment of COVID-19 include preventing fusion of SARS-CoV-2 with human cells; decrease acidity in endosomes, cell membrane-derived vesicles for transportation of the virus within the host cell and within which the virus can replicate; and blockade of the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Phytomedicines may possibly elicit either one or a combination of these effects. The case for the exploration of phytomedicines against COVID-19 is strengthened by the emergence of a number of conventional drugs from medicinal plants and the emergence of botanicals with proven efficacy for some medical conditions. Caution against indiscriminate use of medicinal plants in the guise of treating COVID-19 has been highlighted and the need for reliable preclinical and clinical studies.

What Could Explain the Lower COVID-19 Burden in Africa despite Considerable Circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus?

“…During 30 March-1 April 2021, the Third Regional Consultation with Experts and Researchers on the Contribution of Traditional Medicine to COVID-19 Response in the African Region was held, with contributions from scores of scientists and countries. The case for exploring natural medicine in the fight against COVID-19 is justified [165]. Although African countries such as Madagascar have endorsed the wide use of a traditional therapeutic agent to fight COVID-19, there are no published scientific data that would lend support to this claim.…”

What Could Explain the Lower COVID-19 Burden in Africa Despite Considerable Circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus?

“…During March 30-April 1, 2021, the Third Regional Consultation with Experts and Researchers on the Contribution of Traditional Medicine to COVID-19 Response in the African Region was held with contributions from scores of scientists and countries. The case for exploring natural medicine in the fight against COVID-19 is justified 161 . Although African countries such as Madagascar has endorsed wide use of a traditional therapeutic agent to fight COVID-19, there are no published scientific data that would lend support to this claim.…”

Leveraging knowledge of Asian herbal medicine and its active compounds as COVID-19 treatment and prevention

“…Hence, several approaches have been adopted, including drug repurposing and vaccine development. In drug repurposing, various existing drugs, such as chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, camostat mesylate, lopinavir, ritonavir, remdesivir, and favipiravir, have been tested in clinical trials [5]. In vaccine development, numerous pharmaceutical/academic developers have developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates using various platforms, such as live-attenuated virus (e.g., Codagenix [6]), inactivated virus (e.g., Sinovac [7], Sinopharm [8]); mRNA (e.g., Pfizer [9] Moderna [10], ChulaCov19 [11], and Curevac [12]); DNA (e.g., COVIGEN [13], Inovio [14]); non-replicating viral vectors (e.g., AstraZeneca [15], Johnson & Johnson [16]); and protein sub-units (e.g., Novavax [17]), and conducted clinical trials [18].…”