Human Molecular Cytogenetics and Stem Cell Laboratory, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamil Nadu, India.
Department of Zoology, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore 641 043, Tamil Nadu, India.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 Jul 10;725:138277. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138277. Epub 2020 Apr 4.
The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. The outbreak of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc worldwide due to inadequate risk assessment regarding the urgency of the situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has entered a dangerous new phase. When compared with SARS and MERS, COVID-19 has spread more rapidly, due to increased globalization and adaptation of the virus in every environment. Slowing the spread of the COVID-19 cases will significantly reduce the strain on the healthcare system of the country by limiting the number of people who are severely sick by COVID-19 and need hospital care. Hence, the recent outburst of COVID-19 highlights an urgent need for therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2. Here, we have discussed the structure of virus; varying symptoms among COVID-19, SARS, MERS and common flu; the probable mechanism behind the infection and its immune response. Further, the current treatment options, drugs available, ongoing trials and recent diagnostics for COVID-19 have been discussed. We suggest traditional Indian medicinal plants as possible novel therapeutic approaches, exclusively targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its pathways.
新型冠状病毒病 2019（COVID-19）是由 SARS-CoV-2 引起的，SARS-CoV-2 是一种潜在致命疾病的病原体，引起了全球极大的公共卫生关注。由于对疫情紧迫性的风险评估不足，COVID-19 在全球范围内造成了严重破坏。COVID-19 大流行进入了一个危险的新阶段。与 SARS 和 MERS 相比，COVID-19 的传播速度更快，这是由于全球化的增加和病毒在每种环境中的适应性增强。减缓 COVID-19 病例的传播速度将通过限制因 COVID-19 而病重并需要住院治疗的人数，显著减轻国家医疗体系的负担。因此，最近 COVID-19 的爆发突显了针对 SARS-CoV-2 的治疗方法的迫切需求。在这里，我们讨论了病毒的结构；COVID-19、SARS、MERS 和普通流感之间不同的症状；感染背后的可能机制及其免疫反应。此外，还讨论了 COVID-19 的当前治疗选择、可用药物、正在进行的试验和最近的诊断方法。我们建议将传统的印度药用植物作为针对 SARS-CoV-2 及其途径的潜在新型治疗方法。
