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COVID-19 caused by a new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) originated in China has speedily become a frightening pandemic all over the world. Despite of intense efforts relevant to experimental and clinical studies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, no disease-specific drug or vaccine is available, yet. Several treatment strategies including already known antiviral drugs, interpherons, interleukin inhibitors, and other drugs acting through different mechanims are being implemented in COVID-19 patients. On the other hand, natural products especially pythocompounds have been proven to be lead molecules for drug design and development research. Among them, curcumin as the main constituent of Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), is the reputed compound displaying remarkable biological activities for human health. It has been shown to have a inhibiting effect against a wide range of viruses such as HCV, HIV, PEDV, HSV, Ebola, dengue, influenza, Zika, SARS-CoV, etc. Therefore, curcumin could be considered as a structural model for designing new molecules against COVID-19. In the present review, antiviral activity of curcumin is scrutinized thorugh the literature data relevant to its enzyme and receptor interactions, in vitro, in vivo, in silico, and cell-based assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort) is a reputed plant with a long service to humankind. In the current study, antioxidant activity of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of H. perforatum growing in Turkey along with hyperoside and hyperforin was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, metal-chelation, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The major components including chlorogenic acid, the flavonoid derivatives; rutin, hyperoside, quercitrin, quercetin, and biapigenin, the naphthodianthrons; pseudohypericin and hypericin, and the phloroglucinol derivatives; hyperforin and adhyperforin were quantified in the extract by LC-DAD-MS. Hypericin (16 ± 0.08 μg/g) and hiperforin (1164 ± 0.02 μg/g) contents in H. perforatum were found to be in accordance with the amounts required by the European Pharmacopeia. The extract and hyperoside exerted a remarkable antioxidant activity in DPPH radical scavenging and FRAP assays, whereas they did not have metal-chelation capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]