Ntemafack Augustin, Singh Rahul Vikram, Ali Sabeena, Kuiate Jules-Roger, Hassan Qazi Parvaiz
Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
S Afr J Bot. 2022 Dec;151:146-155. doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2022.09.043. Epub 2022 Sep 29.
Medicinal plants are being used as an alternative source of health management to cure various human ailments. The healing role is attributed to the hidden dynamic groups of various phytoconstituents, most of which have been recorded from plants and their derivatives. Nowadays, medicinal plants have gained more attention due to their pharmacological and industrial potential. Aromatic compounds are one of the dynamic groups of secondary metabolites (SM) naturally present in plants; and anthraquinones of this group are found to be attractive due to their high bioactivity and low toxicity. They have been reported to exhibit anticancer, antimicrobial, immune-suppressive, antioxidant, antipyretic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory activities. Anthraquinones have been also shown to exhibit potent antiviral effects against different species of viruses. Though, it has been reported that a medicinal plant with antiviral activity against one viral infection may be used to combat other types of viral infections. Therefore, in this review, we explored and highlighted the antiviral properties of anthraquinones of Polygonaceae, Rubiaceae and Asphodelaceae families. Anthraquinones from these plant families have been reported for their effects on human respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus. They are hence presumed to have antiviral potential against SARS-CoV as well. Thus, anthraquinones are potential candidates that need to be screened thoroughly and developed as drugs to combat COVID-19. The information documented in this review could therefore serve as a starting point in developing novel drugs that may help to curb the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic.
药用植物正被用作健康管理的替代来源，以治疗各种人类疾病。其治愈作用归因于各种植物成分中隐藏的动态基团，其中大部分已从植物及其衍生物中记录下来。如今，药用植物因其药理和工业潜力而受到更多关注。芳香化合物是植物中天然存在的次生代谢产物（SM）的动态基团之一；该基团的蒽醌因其高生物活性和低毒性而备受关注。据报道，它们具有抗癌、抗菌、免疫抑制、抗氧化、解热、利尿和抗炎活性。蒽醌还显示出对不同病毒种类具有强大的抗病毒作用。不过，据报道，一种对一种病毒感染具有抗病毒活性的药用植物可能可用于对抗其他类型的病毒感染。因此，在本综述中，我们探索并强调了蓼科、茜草科和阿福花科蒽醌的抗病毒特性。这些植物科的蒽醌对人呼吸道合胞病毒和流感病毒的作用已有报道。因此，推测它们对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒（SARS-CoV）也具有抗病毒潜力。因此，蒽醌是需要彻底筛选并开发成对抗2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）药物的潜在候选物。因此，本综述中记录的信息可作为开发可能有助于遏制SARS-CoV-2大流行的新药的起点。
