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Adeosun WB, Loots DT. Medicinal Plants against Viral Infections: A Review of Metabolomics Evidence for the Antiviral Properties and Potentials in Plant Sources. Viruses 2024; 16:218. [PMID: 38399995 PMCID: PMC10892737 DOI: 10.3390/v16020218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Most plants have developed unique mechanisms to cope with harsh environmental conditions to compensate for their lack of mobility. A key part of their coping mechanisms is the synthesis of secondary metabolites. In addition to their role in plants' defense against pathogens, they also possess therapeutic properties against diseases, and their use by humans predates written history. Viruses are a unique class of submicroscopic agents, incapable of independent existence outside a living host. Pathogenic viruses continue to pose a significant threat to global health, leading to innumerable fatalities on a yearly basis. The use of medicinal plants as a natural source of antiviral agents has been widely reported in literature in the past decades. Metabolomics is a powerful research tool for the identification of plant metabolites with antiviral potentials. It can be used to isolate compounds with antiviral capacities in plants and study the biosynthetic pathways involved in viral disease progression. This review discusses the use of medicinal plants as antiviral agents, with a special focus on the metabolomics evidence supporting their efficacy. Suggestions are made for the optimization of various metabolomics methods of characterizing the bioactive compounds in plants and subsequently understanding the mechanisms of their operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Bamise Adeosun
- Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Box 269, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa;
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Mani JS, Johnson JB, Hosking H, Ashwath N, Walsh KB, Neilsen PM, Broszczak DA, Naiker M. Antioxidative and therapeutic potential of selected Australian plants: A review. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2021; 268:113580. [PMID: 33189842 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Numerous common pharmaceuticals, including anti-cancer, antiviral and antidiabetic drugs, are derived from traditional plant-derived medicines. With approximately 25,000 species of flora occurring in Australia that are adapted to the harsh environment, there is a plethora of novel compounds awaiting research in the context of their medicinal properties. Anecdotal accounts of plant-based medicines used by the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples clearly illustrates high therapeutic activity. AIM This review aims to demonstrate the medicinal potentials of selected native Australian plants based on scientific data. Furthermore, it is anticipated that work presented here will contribute towards enhancing our knowledge of native plants from Australia, particularly in the prevention and potential treatment of disease types such as cancer, microbial and viral infections, and diabetes. This is not meant to be a comprehensive study, rather it is meant as an overview to stimulate future research in this field. METHODS The EBSCOhost platform which included PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were searched for papers using the keywords: medicinal plants, antioxidative, antimicrobial, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-tumor, antiviral or antidiabetic, as well as Australian, native, traditional and plants. The selection criteria for including studies were restricted to articles on plants used in traditional remedies which showed antioxidative potential and therapeutic properties such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral and antidiabetic activity. RESULTS Some plants identified in this review which showed high Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and antioxidative capacity, and hence prominent bioactivity, included Tasmannia lanceolata (Poir.) A.C. Sm., Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Eucalyptus species, Syzygium species, Backhousia citriodora F.Muell., Petalostigma species, Acacia species, Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel, Eremophila species, Prostanthera rotundifolia R.Br., Scaevola spinescens R. Br. and Pittosporum angustifolium Lodd. The majority of studies found polar compounds such as caffeic acid, coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, anthocyanins, hesperidin, kaempferol, catechin, ellagic acid and saponins to be the active components responsible for the therapeutic effects. Additionally, mid to non-polar volatile organic compounds such as meroterpenes (serrulatanes and nerol cinnamates), monoterpenes (1,8-cineole and myodesert-1-ene), sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes, that are known only in Australian plants, have also shown therapeutic properties related to traditional medicine. CONCLUSION Australian plants express a diverse range of previously undescribed metabolites that have not been given full in vitro assessment for human health potential. This review has included a limited number of plant species of ethnomedicinal significance; hundreds of plants remain in need of exploration and detailed study. Future more elaborate studies are therefore required to screen out and purify lead bioactive compounds against numerous other disease types. This will not only improve our knowledge on the phytochemistry of Australian native flora, but also provide a platform to understand their health-promoting and bioactive effects for pharmaceutical interventions, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and as functional foods. Finally, plant-derived natural compounds (phytochemicals), as well as plant-based traditional remedies, are significant sources for latent and novel drugs against diseases. Extensive investigation of native medicinal plants may well hold the key to novel drug discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice S Mani
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia; Institute of Future Farming Systems, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia.
| | - Joel B Johnson
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia; Institute of Future Farming Systems, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia
| | - Holly Hosking
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia
| | - Nanjappa Ashwath
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia; Institute of Future Farming Systems, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia
| | - Kerry B Walsh
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia; Institute of Future Farming Systems, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia
| | - Paul M Neilsen
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia
| | - Daniel A Broszczak
- Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation (Q-Block), Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove Campus, QLD, Australia
| | - Mani Naiker
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia; Institute of Future Farming Systems, CQUniversity, Bruce Hwy, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia
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Nguyen KQ, Scarlett CJ, Vuong QV. Ethnopharmacology, Biological Activity and Phytochemistry of Scaevola spinescens. Chem Biodivers 2021; 18:e2001050. [PMID: 33719150 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202001050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Scaevola spinescens is endemic to Australia and has traditionally been used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to treat a variety of conditions including colds, flu, fever, stomach pain, urinary disorders, sores, tinea, leprosy, and cancer. Extracts prepared from S. spinescens are non-toxic and have been linked with various medicinal properties including antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. These studies support the ethnopharmacological use of S. spinescens by Indigenous peoples of Australia and highlight the need for further investigations on the plant for potential use in pharmaceutical and food applications. This review provides a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the literature on S. spinescens focusing on the traditional use, medicinal properties, phytochemicals, and factors that affect their composition during pre-treatment and extraction, as well as providing a framework for future studies of the plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kien Q Nguyen
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Brush Rd., Ourimbah, NSW 2258, Australia
| | - Christopher J Scarlett
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Brush Rd., Ourimbah, NSW 2258, Australia
| | - Quan V Vuong
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Brush Rd., Ourimbah, NSW 2258, Australia
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Rayan P, Matthews B, McDonnell PA, Cock IE. Terminalia ferdinandiana extracts as inhibitors of Giardia duodenalis proliferation: a new treatment for giardiasis. Parasitol Res 2015; 114:2611-20. [PMID: 25876047 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4465-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Giardisis is a debilitating disease caused by gastrointestinal parasites of the genus Giardia. High-antioxidant T. ferdinandiana fruit extracts were investigated for the ability to block Giardia duodenalis growth. Methanolic and aqueous extracts had the most potent growth inhibitory activity (IC50 values of approximately 700 and 140 μg/ml, respectively). Ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts also inhibited G. duodenalis growth, albeit with lower potency. The hexane extract was completely devoid of G. duodenalis growth inhibitory activity. All extracts were nontoxic in the Artemia fransiscana bioassay. Nontargeted HPLC-quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectroscopy (with screening against three compound databases) putatively identified 17 compounds in all of the inhibitory extracts but not in the inactive hexane extract. The low toxicity of the Terminalia ferdinandiana fruit extracts and their potent G. duodenalis growth inhibitory bioactivity indicate their potential as medicinal agents in the treatment and prevention of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Rayan
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Rd, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia
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