Suzana G. Leitão

sgleitao@farmacia.ufrj.br

Laboratório de Fitoquímica e Farmacognosia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21.941-902, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the discovery of compounds with antiviral potential from medicinal plants has been extensively researched [1]. Plant secondary metabolites have promising pharmacological activities due to their specific mechanisms of action in biological systems. In a context which viral infections are part of modern society, aggravated by globalization, the discovery of new antiviral substances is essential. In this sense, the Phytochemistry and Pharmacognosy (UFRJ/BR) and the Phytochemistry and Countercurrent Chromatography (UFRJ/BR) Laboratories engaged in the study of Brazilian plant species towards different Sars-CoV-2 targets, through in vitro and in silico methods. The two laboratories hold a bank with about 200 samples, among extracts, fractions, and isolated substances of Brazilian plant species, which have been used in several studies following the random and ethnopharmacological approaches, which were used in a metabolomics investigation guided by in vitro and chemometric analyses, to identify potential agents in the tackling of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2. Extracts from representatives of 8 families and 28 species, were screened against three of SARS-CoV-2 most important targets: the proteases 3CLpro and PLpro, related to virus replication, and the interaction between the Spike protein and its receptor ACE2, related to viral cell attachment and entry, complemented by in silico analyses, resulting in several publications, which will be discussed [1-5].

Acknowledgements to CAPES, CNPq and FAPERJ.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, Medicinal Plants, chemometrics, proteases, COVID-19, mass spectrometry

References:

[1] Gomes, BA et al. Drugs Drug Candidates 2025, 4(2), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/ddc4020027

[2] Gomes, BA et al. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, 2025, 26, 633.

[3] Fernandes DF. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia-Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosia, 2024, 34, 883–898.

[4] Mendonça SC, et al. PHARMACEUTICALS, 2024, 17, 436.

[5] Cheohen, CFAR, et al. COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, 2023, 21, 1461-1472.

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