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. 2020 Nov 24;25(23):5496.
doi: 10.3390/molecules25235496.

Alkaloids: Therapeutic Potential against Human Coronaviruses

Burtram C Fielding  1 , Carlos da Silva Maia Bezerra Filho  2 , Nasser S M Ismail  3 , Damião Pergentino de Sousa  2
Affiliations

Alkaloids: Therapeutic Potential against Human Coronaviruses

Burtram C Fielding et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Alkaloids are a class of natural products known to have wide pharmacological activity and have great potential for the development of new drugs to treat a wide array of pathologies. Some alkaloids have antiviral activity and/or have been used as prototypes in the development of synthetic antiviral drugs. In this study, eleven anti-coronavirus alkaloids were identified from the scientific literature and their potential therapeutic value against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is discussed. In this study, in silico studies showed an affinity of the alkaloids for binding to the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, putatively preventing it from binding to the host cell. Lastly, several mechanisms for the known anti-coronavirus activity of alkaloids were discussed, showing that the alkaloids are interesting compounds with potential use as bioactive agents against SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: COVID-19; MERS-CoV; SARS-CoV; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral drug; coronaviruses; natural products; virus.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main inhibitory actions of alkaloids against coronaviruses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of bioactive alkaloids against coronavirus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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