COVID-19 Prophylaxis Efforts Based on Natural Antiviral Plant Extracts and Their Compounds.

During the time of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it has been crucial to search for novel antiviral drugs from plants and well as other natural sources as alternatives for prophylaxis. This work reviews the antiviral potential of plant extracts, and the results of previous research for the treatment and prophylaxis of coronavirus disease and previous kinds of representative coronaviruses group. Detailed descriptions of medicinal herbs and crops based on their origin native area, plant parts used, and their antiviral potentials have been conducted. The possible role of plant-derived natural antiviral compounds for the development of plant-based drugs against coronavirus has been described. To identify useful scientific trends, VOSviewer visualization of presented scientific data analysis was used.

Betacyanins and Betaxanthins in Cultivated Varieties of Beta vulgaris L. Compared to Weed Beets.

There are 11 different varieties of Beta vulgaris L. that are used in the food industry, including sugar beets, beetroots, Swiss chard, and fodder beets. The typical red coloration of their tissues is caused by the indole-derived glycosides known as betalains that were analyzed in hypocotyl extracts by UV/Vis spectrophotometry to determine the content of betacyanins (betanin) and of betaxanthins (vulgaxanthin I) as constituents of the total betalain content. Fields of beet crops use to be also infested by wild beets, hybrids related to B. vulgaris subsp. maritima or B. macrocarpa Guss., which significantly decrease the quality and quantity of sugar beet yield; additionally, these plants produce betalains at an early stage. All tested B. vulgaris varieties could be distinguished from weed beets according to betacyanins, betaxanthins or total betalain content. The highest values of betacyanins were found in beetroots 'Monorubra' (9.69 mg/100 mL) and 'Libero' (8.42 mg/100 mL). Other beet varieties contained less betacyanins: Sugar beet 'Labonita' 0.11 mg/100 mL; Swiss chard 'Lucullus,' 0.09 mg/100 mL; fodder beet 'Monro' 0.15 mg/100 mL. In contrast with weed beets and beetroots, these varieties have a ratio of betacyanins to betaxanthins under 1.0, but the betaxanthin content was higher in beetcrops than in wild beet and can be used as an alternative to non-red varieties. Stability tests of selected varieties showed that storage at 22 °C for 6 h, or at 7 °C for 24 h, did not significantly reduce the betalain content in the samples.

Changes in Content of Polyphenols and Ascorbic Acid in Leaves of White Cabbage after Pest Infestation.

Crops, such as white cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata (L.) f. alba), are often infested by herbivorous insects that consume the leaves directly or lay eggs with subsequent injury by caterpillars. The plants can produce various defensive metabolites or free radicals that repel the insects to avert further damage. To study the production and effects of these compounds, large white cabbage butterflies, Pieris brassicae and flea beetles, Phyllotreta nemorum, were captured in a cabbage field and applied to plants cultivated in the lab. After insect infestation, leaves were collected and UV/Vis spectrophotometry and HPLC used to determine the content of stress molecules (superoxide), primary metabolites (amino acids), and secondary metabolites (phenolic acids and flavonoids). The highest level of superoxide was measured in plants exposed to fifty flea beetles. These plants also manifested a higher content of phenylalanine, a substrate for the synthesis of phenolic compounds, and in activation of total phenolics and flavonoid production. The levels of specific phenolic acids and flavonoids had higher variability when the dominant increase was in the flavonoid, quercetin. The leaves after flea beetle attack also showed an increase in ascorbic acid which is an important nutrient of cabbage.