Exploring the potential of Traditional Chinese Medicines for antiviral therapy

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a devastating pandemic, resulting in the death of nearly 7 million people worldwide and causing significant socio-economic consequences. The pandemic has highlighted the need for effective antiviral drugs, as current treatments have proven insufficient. Traditional plant-based formulas have been integrated into the treatment protocols for COVID-19 in Chinese hospitals, and many of these have shown beneficial effects. Recent research by Newman and Cragg (2020) has shown that almost 50% of antiviral drugs are either derived from natural resources or have a natural pharmacophore.

Our preliminary study investigated the antiviral activity of plants commonly used in Chinese treatments, including Paeonia suffruticosa, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Cinnamomum ramulus, and Armeniacae amarum. The results demonstrated significant antiviral activities with no signs of cytotoxicity on VERO E6 cells.

In light of the recent findings, our research focuses specifically on Paeonia suffruticosa and its main constituents, such as paeonol, paeoniflorine and oxypaeoniflorine. Although these major constituents might contribute to the activity, a bioguided fractionation was accomplished to identify additional potential active compounds. The antiviral activity was observed through the RT-qPCR detection method which has become the gold standard test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Our results feature the phytochemical profile of Paeonia suffruticosa with an emphasis on the active molecules' antiviral activity, with the aim of inspiring the development of new antiviral drugs.

 

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023