Antiviral compounds from plants : current trends and future directions

![CDATA[Thanks to their complexity and diversity, viral infections represent one of the biggest disease burdens in the world. According to the World Health Organisation, currently, 16 out of 20 pandemic and epidemic diseases are caused by viruses. Despite the recent advancement in immunization and drug development, many viruses lack vaccines and effective therapies. The side-effects and toxicity associated with conventional antiviral drugs is another hurdle in standard antiviral therapy. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for further research in the search of novel broad-spectrum antiviral agents especially from natural sources such as plants. Plant-derived bioactive compounds have been widely employed to treat several infectious and non-infectious diseases both in traditional and Western medicines. The potential of several plant-derived bioactive compounds in inhibiting replication and growth of different classes of virus including the SARS-CoV-2 has been underlined in many scientific reports. Phytochemicals and extracts that can modulate the immune system to enhance the inherent antiviral defence of the human body have also been explored extensively. Similarly, compounds with anti-inflammatory properties to regulate the “cytokine storm” are investigated to manage COVID- 19. This presentation will comprehensively highlight the common antiviral drugs from plants and current trends, research gaps and future directions in antiviral research in relation to natural product chemistry.]]