ISSN: 1449-2288International Journal of Biological Sciences
Global reach, higher impact
Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18(12):4669-4676. doi:10.7150/ijbs.74676 This issue Cite
Review
Natural tannins as anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds
1. Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40402
2. Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, 40447
3. Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, 40402
4. Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan, 41354
*These two authors contributed equally.
Abstract
Tannins are polyphenols enriched in wood, bark, roots, leaves, seeds and fruits of a variety of plants. Over the last two decades, there has been an increasing interest in understanding the biological functions of tannins and their applications as antioxidants, anticancer drugs, and food additives. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, much effort has been devoted to finding an expedient cure. Tannins have been put forward as having possible anti-COVID-19 properties; however, owing to the profuse nature of the structurally diverse derivatives of tannins, the tannin species in the family associated with an indication of anti-COVID-19 have been poorly defined, compounded by frequent terminology misnomers. This article reviews the tannin family in fruits and the current knowledge about the activities of the compounds with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It will aid molecular and cellular biologists in developing natural anti-viral chemicals as means of overcoming the current and future pandemics.
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