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The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and quickly spread across the worldwide. It becomes a global pandemic and risk to the healthcare system of almost every nation around the world. In this study thirty natural compounds of 19 Indian herbal plants were used to analyze their binding with eight proteins associated with COVID -19. Based on the molecular docking as well as ADMET analysis, isovitexin, glycyrrhizin, sitosterol, and piperine were identified as potential herbal medicine candidates. On comparing the binding affinity with Ivermectin, we have found that the inhibition potentials of the Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek), Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), Tinospora cordifolia (giloy) and Piper nigrum (black pepper) are very promising with no side-effects.
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The consumption of spices is growing in India with an increase in purchasing power. It is forecasted that everyone in the country would be consuming one spice or the other with a high per capita consumption. It is estimated that we may have a population of around 1.69 billion people during 2050 and approximately the per capita consumption of turmeric, ginger, black pepper and cardamom is expected to be about 1.6 kg, 1.2 kg, 148 g and 54 g, respectively. This may increase further owing to rapid urbanization which needs spices as natural food preservatives. Hence, the present study was conducted to analyze the growth trend in spices economy of India during the period 1990-91 to 2021-22 with reference to the selected growth indicators such as area, production, domestic market, export and export value. For estimating the acceleration in the growth rates, the paper uses semi-logarithmic specification of a non-linear (quadratic) equation. From the analysis, it is observed that there is a huge scope for output and export of spices. Despite the Covid pandemic, spices export from India has continued its upward trend during 2020-21 and has attained an all-time high of US $ 4.0 billion mark for the first time in the history of spices export. It also implies that there is strong domestic market for spices in India.
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This study aims to analyze the AntiCovid effect of Phytocompounds extracted from Native Indian Plant species by computational methods such as Molecular Docking. Through this study keeping the Indian Heritage alive we characterized the ability of these phytochemicals as inhibiting agents of the Main Protease enzyme of this Virus. The lack of any effective treatment and the reoccurrence of cases despite Vaccination necessitates the quick provision of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. Natural substances are getting a lot of attention for SARS-CoV-2 therapy as they have proven antimicrobial activities and are a key source for numerous antiviral drugs. Despite the fact that this virus has several identified target receptors, Main Protease (Mpro) is crucial for viral replication. In this study, 26 phytochemicals from 10 native Indian plant species were studied. Our docking studies demonstrated that compounds Quercetin, Withaferin A, Sominone, and Nimbin were likely to be more favorable than the natural inhibitor N3, with binding energies of-8.42, -9.21, -9.95, and -8.88 kcal/mol, respectively. These four candidate natural compounds were further examined for their bioavailability scores through ADMET analysis to prove the safety of these compounds as well as their drug likeliness. Through the results it was indicated that these natural phytochemicals have a significant potential of inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro enzyme and might be utilized to treat SARS-CoV-2 and manage public health, subject to in vitro validation in the future.
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Background: Antiviral vaccine is not effective, synthetic antiviral drugs are highly toxic, leading to increased interest in herbal medicines as promising antiviral drugs. Recently, Vipdervir has been developed from medicinal herbs with the aim to support and treat diseases caused by viruses such as H5N1 and SARSCoV- 2. In the present study, we assessed Vipdervir's antiviral activity against H5N1 and SARS-CoV-2. In addition, we also evaluated the acute toxicity and repeated dose toxicity of Vipdervir in mice and rabbits, respectively. Methods: H5N1 inhibitory effect of Vipdervir was assessed using hemagglutination inhibition assay. Vipdervir's SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory effect was evaluated by Plaque Reduction Neutralization assay. Acute and repeated dose oral toxicities of Vipdervir were determined according to OECD 423 and OECD 407 guidelines, respectively. Results: Data show that Vipdervir is effective against both H5N1 and SARSCoV- 2. At concentrations of 3 mg/mL and 5 mg/mL Vipdervir completely inhibits H5N1. At a concentration of 50 g/mL Vipdervir showed an inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2. Acute toxicity data revealed that the LD50 of Vipdervir is greater than 35200 mg/kg, b.wt. in mice. Repeated toxicity data indicated that Vipdervir did not induce significant differences in body weight gain, hematology and clinical biochemistry in compared to the control group. The No Observed Adverse Effect Level of Vipdervir is greater than 613.8 mg/kg b.wt./day in rabbits. No delayed toxicity effects of Vipdervir were observed. Conclusion: Vipdervir capsules were found to be antiviral effective and relatively safe in the tested doses and experimental conditions.
ABSTRACT
The novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Ancient Chinese herbal formulas are effective for diseases caused by viral infection, and their effects on COVID-19 are currently being examined. To directly evaluate the role of Chinese herbs in inhibiting replication of SARS-CoV-2, we investigated how the phytochemicals from Chinese herbs interact with the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP). Total 1025 compounds were screened, and then 181compounds were selected for molecular docking analysis. Four phytochemicals licorice glycoside E, diisooctyl phthalate, (-)-medicocarpin, and glycyroside showed good binding affinity with RdRp. The best complex licorice glycoside E/RdRp forms 3 hydrogen bonds, 4 hydrophobic interactions, 1 pair of Pi-cation/stacking, and 4 salt bridges. Furthermore, docking complexes licorice glycoside E/RdRp and diisooctyl phthalate/RdRp were optimized by molecular dynamics simulation to obtain the stable conformation. These studies indicate that they are promising as antivirals against SARS-CoV-2.
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Objective: To explore the network regulation mechanism of Huoxiang Zhengqi Oral Liquid(HXZQ) in the treatment of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).
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This issue contains 17 papers providing information on the newly discovered biological activities of phytochemicals and plant extracts that can be potentially developed as treatments for various disorders (COVID-19, cancer, skin disorders, allergies and inflammation, among others) and the underlying mechanisms by which they affect biological systems.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to devastate the world's health and economy, affecting all aspects of life leading to widespread social disruption. Even as several vaccines have been developed, their availability in developing countries is limited and their efficacy against the variants of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2) needs to be continuously assessed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged that vaccines alone will not overcome the global challenges of COVID-19. Medicinal plants may provide the needed support. Herein, we identify Philippine medicinal plants that possess phytochemicals with potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and/or immunomodulatory properties that may strengthen one's immune system against COVID-19. These plants were selected from 100 of the best-studied Philippine medicinal plants with antiviral and immunomodulatory properties. The general antiviral and specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities and immunomodulatory properties of the phytochemicals that these plants contained were searched. While many compounds assessed individually using in vitro and in silico techniques suggest potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 or immunomodulatory effects, this review sought to identify the medicinal plants which contain these compounds and which, based on literature, have the best potential application against COVID-19. These plants are Allium spp. bulbs (bawang), Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees leaves (sinta), Cocos nucifera L. oil (niyog), Euphorbia hirta L. leaves (tawa-tawa), Euphorbia neriifolia L. leaves (sorosoro), Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves (malunggay), Ocimum basilicum L. leaves (balanoy), Piper nigrum L. seeds (paminta), Vitex negundo L. leaves (lagundi), and Zingiber officinale Roscoe rhizome (luya). This review provides a shortlist that can guide research on possible solutions to COVID-19 using Philippine medicinal plants.
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The nationwide lockdown which has been in force from 24th March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic had a severe economic impact on agriculture sector. This has been in spite of the exemptions given to the sector after two weeks of lockdown. The agriculture has been seen by many in the post-COVID scenario as the bright spot in the economy. But, the pepper crop is uniquely located in the sense that its consumption is largely driven by food processing industries which had been affected by the pandemic. Not only that the two back-to-back floods in 2018 and 2019 had severely affected the pepper production in Idukki district of Kerala which accounts for the largest production share. The district even faced a spate of farmer suicides in the recent times. This paper is an exploration into the various impacts of the present pandemic on the pepper economy of Kerala. It also tries to come up with some policy recommendations to revive the pepper production in the post-COVID economic structure.
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Objective: This study was conducted to identify medicinal plants in the fight against Coronavirus disease, influenza and colds cited by travelers who came for their Covid test at the Institut Pasteur of C..te d'Ivoire. Methodology and Results: A semi-structured interview was conducted with 527 travelers from April 1 to June 30, 2021. The interviewed travelers were predominantly male (69.4%). Travelers going to France (28.46%) were the most numerous. The most represented age groups were 41-64 (43.83%) and 25-40 (43.26%). When the level of education is considered, the surveyed travelers have a higher level of education (89.94%). Entrepreneurs (13.85%), traders (12.66%), company directors (12.33%), students (8.54%) and health workers (6.45%) are the majority. Only 21.63% of travelers used traditional medicine in the last 12 months prior to the survey. Various plants are used to fight (33.43%) or prevent (56.57%) Coronavirus disease (7.02%), influenza (3.60%) and colds (2.84%). In total, 13 species of medicinal plants divided into 13 genera and 13 families were cited. Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae) with citation frequencies (cf) of 22%, Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae) with cf of 21% and Citrus limon (Rutaceae) with cf of 14% were the most cited species. Conclusion and application of results: These plants could be used for research and development of phytomedicines against Coronavirus, influenza and cold.
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Background: Up to date drug-based treatments for COVID-19 have not been approved. The most effective way to face this public health problem is prevention with adequate nutrition, hygiene, and protection measures. Food has historically been used by people to improve their nutrition and complement the treatment or prevention of diseases. The various bioactive compounds of some foods are known, which in experimental studies demonstrated their antiviral and immunomodulatory action.
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Functional foods and nutraceuticals demand during the Covid-19 pandemic are increasing tremendously. This is showed that there is a shifting food consumption pattern into healthier food rather than only to satisfy hunger. Functional foods are foods that offer health benefits beyond their nutritional value, whereas nutraceuticals are commodities derived from foods, but are used in the medicinal form of pills, capsules, or liquids that demonstrated physiological benefits. Nutraceutical products consist of isolated bioactive substances such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids as well as dietary supplements such as probiotics, prebiotics, antioxidants, and enzymes. As the second-largest country with the highest biodiversity, Indonesia has some natural resources that could be developed as functional food or nutraceutical ingredients such as ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass, honey, Moringa oleifera leaves, etc. Indonesian society has indigenous knowledge of the health effect of any plants and spices such as the health effect of "jamu", a functional drink made from several parts of plants. However, the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals in Indonesia has so many challenges concerning regulation. The National Agency for Drug and Food Control of Indonesia did not regulate functional foods and nutraceuticals. However, they have some regulations about processed food with the claim, supplements, natural herbal, and food for medicinal uses. Hence, functional foods and nutraceuticals producers must adjust to the existing regulation. The research and development of functional foods and nutraceuticals consist of several steps namely identification of bioactive compounds, assessment of physiological effect, product formulation and processing, and clinical trial to meet the regulatory demand. The research activities will provide scientific evidence to prove food and nutraceutical functionality. Market demands are also important to obtain an innovative product that meets the consumer's demand. Recent methods to develop functional foods and nutraceutical are "design thinking" methods, a method that focuses problem solving on human rather than on technology or organization. The typical design thinking protocol consists of 3 steps namely observation and synthesis, visualization and rapid prototyping, as well as revising and refining. In the first step, nutraceutical developers must understand the characteristic of targeted consumers. In the second step, models or sketches as well as the early version prototypes need to be created. Gathering feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the product will lead to the necessary corrections before product commercialization. In the third step, a team from many different backgrounds and specializations can be involved to revise and refine the new product. A Penta helix collaboration between academia, industry, citizen, public authorities, and non-government organization (NGO) can be used as a model of networking in functional foods and nutraceuticals development. The use of "design thinking" methods will minimize the risk of product failure in the market. One of our experiences in functional food development is the exploration of glucomannan from Porang tubers (Amorphophalus oncophylus) as a functional ingredient. Glucomannan, a water-soluble fiber that can be fermented, is extracted from Konjac (Amorphophallus konjac) tuber or root. However, in Indonesia glucomannan can be extracted from Porang tuber that can be found in many areas. In the beginning, we collaborate with the local farmer, NGO, and governments to optimize the production of Porang tubers. After we found the method to extract the glucomannan, we develop several food products namely jelly, noodle, rice analog, etc and analyze the physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics. The jelly product containing glucomannan was tested for the clinical trial. We found that this jelly could lower the body weight and body mass index of the overweight and obese subjects as well as maintain the level
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Trees and herbs that produce fruits represent the most valuable agricultural food commodities in the world. However, the yield of these crops is not fully achieved due to biotic factors such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Viruses are capable of causing alterations in plant growth and development, thereby impacting the yield of their hosts significantly. In this work, we first compiled the world's most comprehensive list of known edible fruits that fits our definition. Then, plant viruses infecting those trees and herbs that produce fruits with commercial importance in the global market were identified. The identified plant viruses belong to 30 families, most of them containing single-stranded RNA genomes. Importantly, we show the overall picture of the host range for some virus families following an evolutionary approach. Further, the current knowledge about plant-virus interactions, focusing on the main disorders they cause, as well as yield losses, is summarized. Additionally, since accurate diagnosis methods are of pivotal importance for viral diseases control, the current and emerging technologies for the detection of these plant pathogens are described. Finally, the most promising strategies employed to control viral diseases in the field are presented, focusing on solutions that are long-lasting.