Can Medicinal Plants Help in the Treatment of the New Coronavirus? Some R & D Aspects in Slovak Republic

Abstract

At the end of February 2020, the World Health Organization published the final report: Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which directly presents the findings of a joint mission of experts from around the world in China in the period after the pandemic. Researchers have been searching for anything that could help other countries fight the new type of 2019-nCoV virus; among other things, how to prevent it`s spread or how to treat it as effectively as possible. In China, doctors, pharmacists and ordinary citizens use the phytotherapy of traditional Chinese medicine on a daily basis to prevent and treat COVID-19. As part of this report, it is recommended to carry out research on natural substances isolated from medicinal plants, the aim of which should be to evaluate their real effectiveness against this disease. Experts agree that we are using vaccines or medicament that would be effective in the fight against the new type of coronavirus SARS CoV-2. While we look forward to it, let us remember which medicinal plants and their natural substances can bring us relief from its manifestations during COVID-19 disease. It is important to know, that relevant herbal drugs and supplements standardized to the active antiviral natural substance. They can play an important role in the treatment and management of the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent recurrences.

Keywords

• COVID-19 pandemic
• herbs
• immune effect
• natural components

References

1. Andersen, K.G., Rambaut, A., Lipkin, W.I., Holmes, E.C., Garry, R.F. 2020. The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nature medicine, 26 (4), 450-452.
2. Barak V, Halperin T, Kalickman I. 2001. The effect of Sambucol, a Black Elderberry-based, Natural Product, on the Production of Human Cytokines: I. inflammatory cytokines. European Cytokine Network. 12(2), 290–296
3. Benarda, B., Pandiella, A. 2020. Medicinal Plants as Sources of Active Molecules against COVID-19 (Review). Frontiers in Pharmacology. 11(1189), 1-16
4. Chrubasik, S. 2015. Review of Pharmacological Effects and Clinical Efficacy of Fruit Products and Functional Foods from Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) as Compared with Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.). Acta Horticulturae. 1061, 89-92
5. Coutarda, B., Valle, C., De Lamballerie, X., Canard, B., Seidahc, N.G., Decroly, E. 2020. The Spike Glycoprotein of the New Coronavirus 2019-nCoV Contains a Furin-like Cleavage Site Absent in CoV of the Same Clade. Antiviral research. 176(2), 104-112.
6. Friedman, T. 2015. The Effect of Rosmarinic Acid on Immunological and Neurological Systems: A Basic Science and Clinical Review. Journal of Restorative Medicine. 4(1), 50-59
7. Frokiaer, H., Henningsen, L., Metzdorff, S.B., Weiss, G., Roller, M., Flanagan, J. 2012. Astragalus Root and Elderberry Fruit Extracts Enhance the IFN-beta Stimulatory Effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus in Murine-derived Dendritic Cells. PLoS One. 7(10), 478-482
8. Gaoa, X., Qina, B., Chena, P., Zhua, K., Houa, P., Wojdylab, J.A., Wang, M., Cuia, S. 2021. Crystal Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 11(4), 237-245

9. Hawkins, J,, Baker, C., Cherry, L., Dunne, E. 2019. Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) Supplementation Effectively Treats upper Respiratory Symptoms: a Meta-analysis of Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 42(6), 361-365.
10. Helmy, Y.A., Fawzy, M., Elaswad, A., Sobieh, A., Kenney, S.P., Shehata, A.A. 2020. The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comprehensive Review of Taxonomy, Genetics, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Control. Journal of Clinical Medicine 9(4), 1225
11. Ishiguro, N., Koseki, N., Kaiho, M. et al. 2018. Clinical Effectiveness of Four Neuraminidase Inhibitors (Oseltamivir, Zanamivir, Laninamivir, and Peramivir) for Children with Influenza A and B in the 2014-2015 to 2016-2017 Influenza Seasons in Japan. Journal of Infection Chemotheraphy. 24(6), 449-457
12. Karkalík, Š., Rudá-Kučerová, J. 2018. Malária, jej liečba a profylaxia (in Slovak). Klinická farmakologia a farmácia. 32(2), 20-27
13. Knudsen, B.F., Kaack, K.V. 2015. Review of Human Health and Disease Claims for Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) Fruit. Acta Horticulturae. (1061), 121-131
14. Osipiuk, J., Azizi, S.A., Dvorkin, S., Endres, M., Jedrzejczak, R., Jones, K. A., Kang, S., Kathayat, R.S., Youngchang, K., Lisnyak, V.G., Maki, S.L., Nicolaescu, V., Taylor, C.A., Tesar, C., Zhang, Y.A., Zhou, Z., Randall, G., Michalska, K., Snyder, S.A., Bryan C. Dickinson, B.C., Joachimiak, A. 2021. Structure of Papain-like Protease from SARS-CoV-2 and its Complexes with Non-covalent Inhibitors. Nature Communications. 12(1), 1-17
15. Rauš, K., Klein, P., Schoop, R., Fisher, P. 2015. Effect of an Echinacea-based Hot Drink Versus Oseltamivir in Influenza Treatment: a Randomized, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Multicenter, Noninferiority. Current Therapeutic Research – Clinical and Experimental. 77(2), 66–72
16. Salamon, I., Sezer, E.N.S., Kryvtsova, M., Labun, P. 2021. Antiproliferative and Antimicrobial Activity of Anthocyanins from Berry Fruits after their Isolation and Freeze-Drying. Applied Sciences – MDPI, (11):1-15
17. Salamon, I., Kryvtsova, M.V., Trush, K.I., Fandalyuk, A.I., Spivak, M.J. 2019. Agro-ecological Cultivation, Secondary Metabolite Characteristics and Microbiological Tests of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) – the Variety Citronella. Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems, 10(3), 265-269
18. Salamon, I. 2019. Slovak Chamomile Varieties and their Comparison of Natural Components. Current Perspective on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CUPMAP). 2(2), 59-65
19. Salamon, I., Haban, M., Otepka, P., Habanova, M. 2018. Perspectives of Small- and Large- Cultivation of Medicinal, Aromatic and Spice Plants in Slovakia. Medicinal Plants – International Journal of Phytomedicines and Related Industries, 9(4), 261-267
20. Salamon, I., Grulova, D., DeFeo, V. 2016. Comparison of Two Methods for Field Grow of Puncture Vine (Tribulus terrestris L.) in Slovakia. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B – Soil & Plant Science. 66(3), 267-271
21. Salamon, I., Haban, M., Baranec, T., Habanova, M., Knoll, M. 2006. The Occurrence of Puncture Vine (Tribulus terrestris L.) and its Metabolic Characteristics in Slovakia. Biologia, 61(1), 25-30
22. Smith, T., May, G., Eckl, V., Reynolds, C.M. 2020. US Sales of Herbal Supplements Increase by 8.6 % in 2019. Herbalgram, 127(1), 54-67
23. Song , Y.H., Kim, D.W., Curtis-Long, M.J., Yuk, H.J., Wang, Y., Zhuang, N., Lee, K.H, Jeon, K.S., Park, K.H. 2014. Papain-like protease (PLpro) inhibitory effects of cinnamic amides from Tribulus terrestris fruits. Biological and Pharmaceutical, 37(6), 1021-1028
24. Swaminathan, K, Dyason, J, Maggioni, A., von Itzstein, M., Kevin, M. Downard, K.M. 2013. Binding of a Natural Anthocyanin Inhibitor to Influenza Neuraminidase by Mass Spectrometry. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. (405), 6563–6572
25. Wicks, S.M., Salamon, I., Calderon, A.I., de Blanco, E.J.C., Mahady, G.B., 2018. Sarcopenia, Diabetes, and Nutritional Intervention. In Nutritional and Therapeutic Interventions for Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome; Elsevier Science Publishing Co. Inc.: San Diego, United States, 279–292, ISBN 978-0-12-812019-4.
26. Wilks, S,, de Graaf, M., Smith, D.J., Burke, D.F. 2012. A Review of Influenza Hemagglutinin Receptor Binding as it Relates to Pandemic Properties. Vaccine. 30(29), 4369-4376
27. Wu, H., Johnson, M.C., Lu, C.H., Fritsche, A.L., Thomas, Z.C., Greenlief, C.M. 2015. Determination of Anthocyanins and Total Polyphenols in a Variety of Elderberry Juices by UPLC-MS/MS and other Methods. Acta Horticulturae, 1061. 43-51
28. Wu, H., Nardone, A., Lacetera, N. 2009. Effects of a Standardized Purified Dry Extract from Echinacea angustifolia on Proliferation and Interferon Gamma Secretion of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Dairy Heifers. Research in Veterinary Science. 87(3), 396-398
29. Zakay-Rones, Z., Varsano, N., Zlotnik, M., Manor, O., Regev, L., Schlesinger, M., Mumcuoglu, M. 1995. Inhibition of Several Strains of Influenza Virus in vitro and Reduction of Symptoms by an Elderberry Extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an Outbreak of Influenza B Panama. Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine. 1(4), 361-369