Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
Pharmacy Practice Research Unit (PPRU), College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
Molecules. 2023 Jul 16;28(14):5435. doi: 10.3390/molecules28145435.
The goal of an antiviral agent research is to find an antiviral drug that reduces viral growth without harming healthy cells. Transformations of the virus, new viral strain developments, the resistance of viral pathogens, and side effects are the current challenges in terms of discovering antiviral drugs. The time has come and it is now essential to discover a natural antiviral agent that has the potential to destroy viruses without causing resistance or other unintended side effects. The pharmacological potency of thymoquinone (TQ) against different communicable and non-communicable diseases has been proven by various studies, and TQ is considered to be a safe antiviral substitute. Adjunctive immunomodulatory effects in addition to the antiviral potency of TQ makes it a major compound against viral infection through modulating the production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species, decreasing the cytokine storm, and inhibiting endothelial dysfunction. Nevertheless, TQ's low oral bioavailability, short half-life, poor water solubility, and conventional formulation are barriers to achieving its optimal pharmacologic benefits. Nano-formulation proposes numerous ways to overcome these obstacles through a small particle size, a big surface area, and a variety of surface modifications. Nano-based pharmaceutical innovations to combat viral infections using TQ are a promising approach to treating surmounting viral infections.
抗病毒药物研究的目标是找到一种既能抑制病毒生长又不伤害健康细胞的抗病毒药物。然而，目前在发现抗病毒药物方面面临着病毒变异、新病毒株的发展、病毒病原体的耐药性以及副作用等挑战。现在是时候发现一种天然的抗病毒药物了，这种药物有可能在不产生耐药性或其他意外副作用的情况下破坏病毒。许多研究已经证明了百里醌（TQ）对各种传染性和非传染性疾病的药理学功效，并且 TQ 被认为是一种安全的抗病毒替代品。TQ 除了具有抗病毒功效外，还具有免疫调节作用，这使其成为通过调节一氧化氮和活性氧的产生、减少细胞因子风暴以及抑制内皮功能障碍来对抗病毒感染的主要化合物。然而，TQ 的口服生物利用度低、半衰期短、水溶性差以及常规制剂等问题，限制了其发挥最佳的药理作用。纳米制剂通过小粒径、大表面积和多种表面修饰为克服这些障碍提供了多种方法。利用 TQ 进行基于纳米的抗病毒药物创新是治疗日益严重的病毒感染的一种很有前途的方法。
