A REVIEW OF ANTIVIRAL MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH POTENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF VIRAL INFECTIONS AND COVID-19 IN NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA

Njoku Moses, Somope Halima, *Ugbabe Grace, Oladosu Peters, Egharevba Henry, Abarike Moses, Danraka Abubakar and Adigwe Peter

ABSTRACT

This study represents an attempt to document information on the antiviral plants that are found in North-Central Nigeria. A compiled check list of these plants including their local names, families, parts used, medicinal uses, and name in different Nigerian states is the main purpose of this study. The study revealed that traditional medicinal practices adopted through the use of these indigenous plants have a wide acceptability among the Nigerian people, probably because they believe in its effectiveness. The medicinal plant uses are varied, and the plant parts that are used ranged from leaves, roots, stem, bark to fruits only, or a combination of two or more in a species or with those of other species. Enduring and sustainable conservation efforts should be implemented to safeguard these important medicinal plants.Viruses are one of the main hazards for both humans and animals. They enter into the living body and redirect the body‘s metabolism to produce large copies of their genome and proteins. Diseases caused by these viruses are difficult to tackle with the help of currently available antiviral drugs. The aim of this study is to explore the plants with reported antiviral activity found in North-Central Nigeria, to get a better understanding for better control of these viruses. Prominent modes of action against these viruses were inhibition of viral entry and its replication in host cell. Against RNA viruses‘ plants mainly targeted their Reverse Transcriptase (RT) enzyme (like HIV) or protease (mostly found against hepatitis C virus). A range of active compounds have been identified which could be the potential antiviral agents for future drug development. Detailed study of their phytochemicals and mode of action against these viruses could be helpful for more effective control of hazardous viruses. Among several other ailments, viral infections, particularly infections associated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and 2 (HIV-2), and newly emerging infectious viruses have challenged mankind‘s survival. Of importance, a variety of plants have shown promise to treat a number of viral infections, and some of them possess broad-spectrum antiviral activity. Development of vector-based strategies, in which non-infectious molecular clone of a virus could be used for antiviral screening purposes, and advancement in separation technologies offers promise for medicinal plants usage in modern drug discovery.

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