Phytochemicals of Withania somnifera as a Future Promising Drug against SARS-CoV-2: Pharmacological Role, Molecular Mechanism, Molecular Docking Evaluation, and Efficient Delivery

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has killed millions of people since first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Intriguingly, Withania somnifera (WS) has shown promising antiviral effects against numerous viral infections, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, which are contributed by its phytochemicals. This review focused on the updated testing of therapeutic efficacy and associated molecular mechanisms of WS extracts and their phytochemicals against SARS-CoV-2 infection in preclinical and clinical studies with the aim to develop a long-term solution against COVID-19. It also deciphered the current use of the in silico molecular docking approach in developing potential inhibitors from WS targeting SARS-CoV-2 and host cell receptors that may aid the development of targeted therapy against SARS-CoV-2 ranging from prior to viral entry until acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This review also discussed nanoformulations or nanocarriers in achieving effective WS delivery to enhance its bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy, consequently preventing the emergence of drug resistance, and eventually therapeutic failure.

Antioxidant activity, metabolic profiling, in-silico molecular docking and ADMET analysis of nano selenium treated sesame seed bioactive compounds as potential novel drug targets against cardiovascular disease related receptors

“…Atherosclerosis, hypertension, thrombosis, and diabetes are the primary risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases [ 63 ]. Lignan in sesame, Sesamin, sesamol and sesamolin due to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and controlling obesity related properties have been found very effective against CVD [ [64] , [65] , [66] ]. Hence any improvements in sesame seed bioactive compounds, especially in lignans will have the advantage of using plant source for curing CVD related problems.…”

Historical texts as a potential resource for plant-derived natural products against SARS-CoV-2 – the example of theReceptariumof Burkhard III von Hallwyl from 16th century Switzerland

“…Compared with the large majority of investigations evaluating the in silico potential of plant metabolites, few studies reported in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of plant extracts (Nair et al, 2022; Chen et al, 2023; De Araujo et al, 2023; Farooq et al, 2024; Kakimoto et al, 2024; Rodrigues et al, 2024). Certain plants with a long history of use in traditional medicine systems to manage flu syndromes, as for example Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, Andrographis paniculata (Burm.F) Wall.ex Nees, Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, Artemisia annua and Nigella sativa L., have shown to be promising candidates in the search for an effective preventive or curative treatment of COVID-19 (Kolev et al, 2022; Nair et al, 2022; Nicolussi et al, 2022; Cyril et al, 2023; Ramli et al, 2023; Shanker et al, 2023).…”

Can Ashwagandha Benefit the Endocrine System?—A Review

“…Its roots, leaves, fruits and other plant parts are rich in active substances. Many studies described over 50 identified substances of Ashwagandha, among them alkaloids, flavonoids, steroidal lactones, N-containing compounds, steroids, and salts [1,15,16].…”