Plants secondary metabolites and antiviral properties

Abstract

There are between three and five million viral infections annually. And normally viral infections are being managed therapeutically through available antiviral regimens with unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. So chemically synthesized drugs can be replaced by secondary metabolites from medicinal plants, which are healthier, safer, and cheaper alternatives. Phytomolecules have been employed as antiviral medicines against a variety of viruses since they can inhibit them directly through blocking their entry or throughout the replication phases, in addition to their use as adjuvant treatments in respiratory infections. For instance, the newly emerged COVID-19 is causing one of the most disruptive pandemics in this century. Thus, phytomolecules offer a ray of hope for human health amid pandemics such as COVID-19. This review provides updated data on the secondary metabolites with different antiviral activities.