Natural Products, a Potential Therapeutic Modality in Management and Treatment of nCoV-19 Infection: Preclinical and Clinical Based Evidence

A recent outbreak of novel coronavirus (nCoV-19) has put an enormous burden on global public health. Millions of people were affected by this pandemic, and as of now, no effective antiviral drug has been found for the management of this situation. Cytokine storm, acute respiratory distress, hypoxia and multi-organ failure are hallmark clinical conditions of this disease. Trials for several investigational and repurposed drugs are being conducted, but none of them were found to be safe and effective. However, for the critically ill patient, plasma therapy, dexamethasone, and remdesivir are included in the treatment protocol. For a long time, various natural drugs have been used as antiviral agents in Indian and Chinese traditional medicines, which can be explored as a potential therapeutic option in such situation. It is, therefore, speculated that the proper screening and standardization of these medicines can be a breakthrough in the management and treatment of nCoV-19 infection. As natural products possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, immunomodulatory properties and also specifically act on various viral enzymatic machinery and affect their replication process, thus they may be useful as alternatives in relieving symptoms and treatment of nCoV-19 infection. However, only on the basis of their traditional value, discrimination and off-label use of these natural drugs must be prevented, and robust preclinical and clinical data along with appropriate guidelines are needed for them to enter into clinical practice.