Invigorating the antiviral arsenal: family Lamiaceae as a promising treasure-trove of antiviral compounds

Introduction

Viral infections pose a growing global concern due to their escalating rates of morbidity and fatality. The traditional synthetic antiviral drugs suffer from drawbacks such as high costs, inherent toxicity, and limited efficacy against resistant strains. One promising avenue lies in the investigation of plant-derived antiviral compounds as an alternative.

Methods

This review systematically examines the antiviral properties of selected plants in the family Lamiaceae. We conducted searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar using keywords such as ‘antiviral activity,’ ‘herbal medicine,’ and ‘plant extracts.’ Articles were screened based on predefined inclusion criteria, followed by data extraction focusing on study characteristics, types of viruses studied, and assessment methods.

Results

The species of plants in the family Lamiaceae contain a variety of naturally occurring substances that have demonstrated remarkable efficacy against viral infections by using different viral life cycle stages as a target. For example, compounds like β-sitosterol, rosmarinic and oleanolic acid primarily act on viral components involved in the early-stage attachment to target cells during viral infections. Moreover, other compounds such as hesperetin, luteolin, kaempferol, quercetin, betulinic acid, gallocatechin gallate, ursolic acid, 1, 8-cineol, eugenol, and caffeic acid, interfere with viral replication, transcription, multiplication, and assembly processes.

Conclusions

This review analyzes various antiviral compounds, revealing quercetin, hesperidin, and ursolic acid as promising therapeutic interventions. It emphasises their modes of action, clinical trials, and commercial applications, encouraging further exploration and research for future natural antiviral drugs.