Efficacy and sustainability of natural products in COVID-19 treatment development: opportunities and challenges in using agro-industrial waste from Citrus and apple

TY - JOUR

T1 - Efficacy and sustainability of natural products in COVID-19 treatment development

T2 - opportunities and challenges in using agro-industrial waste from Citrus and apple

AU - Antonio, A. S.

AU - Wiedemann, L. S.M.

AU - Galante, E. B.F.

AU - Guimarães, A. C.

AU - Matharu, A. S.

AU - Veiga-Junior, V. F.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq), Funda??o Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES). Funding Information: This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) , Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) . Publisher Copyright: © 2021

PY - 2021/8/16

Y1 - 2021/8/16

N2 - Natural products have been used in the treatment of illnesses throughout the history of humankind. Exploitation of bioactive compounds from natural sources can aid in the discovery of new drugs, provide the scaffold of new medicines. In the face of challenging diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, for which there was no effective treatment, nature could offer insights as to novel therapeutic options for control measures. However, the environmental impact and supply chain of bioactive production must be carefully evaluated to ensure the detrimental effects will not outweigh the potential benefits gained. History has already proven that highly bioactive compounds can be rare and not suitable for medicinal exploitation; therefore, the sustainability must be accessed before expensive, time-demanding, and large trials can be initialized. A sustainable option to readily produce a phytotherapy with minimal environmental stress is the use of agro-industry wastes, a by-product produced in high quantities. In this review we evaluate the sustainability issues associated with the production of phytotherapy as a readily available tool for pandemic control.

AB - Natural products have been used in the treatment of illnesses throughout the history of humankind. Exploitation of bioactive compounds from natural sources can aid in the discovery of new drugs, provide the scaffold of new medicines. In the face of challenging diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, for which there was no effective treatment, nature could offer insights as to novel therapeutic options for control measures. However, the environmental impact and supply chain of bioactive production must be carefully evaluated to ensure the detrimental effects will not outweigh the potential benefits gained. History has already proven that highly bioactive compounds can be rare and not suitable for medicinal exploitation; therefore, the sustainability must be accessed before expensive, time-demanding, and large trials can be initialized. A sustainable option to readily produce a phytotherapy with minimal environmental stress is the use of agro-industry wastes, a by-product produced in high quantities. In this review we evaluate the sustainability issues associated with the production of phytotherapy as a readily available tool for pandemic control.

KW - Apple pomace

KW - Citrus

KW - Coronavirus

KW - Phytotherapy

KW - SARS-CoV-2

KW - Supportive treatment

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121218726&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07816

DO - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07816

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:85121218726

SN - 2405-8440

VL - 7

JO - Heliyon

JF - Heliyon

IS - 8

M1 - e07816

ER -