Plant Extracts and Natural Compounds with Antiviral and Anti-inflammatory Activities

Dear Colleagues,

The ability to modulate the innate immunity pathways is common feature among viruses that cause severe human diseases. The pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection has focused attention on the necessity of identify novel drugs that target the virus and control the inflammatory response. Therapies inhibiting viral infection and regulation of dysfunctional immune responses may synergize to block symptoms and pathogenesis of viral infection at multiple steps. Natural products or components are widely studied for their immunomodulatory potential and in particular, polyphenols are well-known pharmacologically active compounds exhibiting both immunomodulatory and antiviral activity.

In this Special Issue, we welcome Original Research, Reviews, and Methods that focus on the identification and in vitro and in vivo testing of new natural drugs with antiviral and anti-inflammatory mechanism of action.

We discourage the submission of manuscripts reporting the antiviral activity of unpurified natural products for which a mechanism of action has not been determined. We also discourage submission of in silico docking studies or other computer-based predictions of antiviral activity that are not supported by data from biological assays. Unlike, we strongly encourage articles describing the signaling pathways and therapeutic targets of natural antivirals as well as the identification of the biological ingredients or molecules with antiviral and immunomodulatory activity are welcome.

Dr. Rosamaria Pennisi
Prof. Dr. Maria Teresa Sciortino
Guest Editors

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