Kappa-carrageenan for COVID-19

The onset of the global pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan in December 2019 has led to an urgent need for effective preventive and therapeutic solutions. Among the various approaches explored, natural products have shown potential in the fight against COVID-19. This study employed computational techniques to screen and evaluate six natural antiviral compounds for their effectiveness against the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro). By using molecular docking simulations, the interactions between these natural compounds and the target proteins were predicted and analyzed, focusing on factors such as binding affinity, interaction patterns, and structural compatibility within the active sites. The analysis indicated that Cladosin C and Rhodatin formed the most stable interactions with Mpro, engaging with several critical residues. Cannabidiol, Capsaicin, and Kappa-Carrageenan also demonstrated promising interactions, though with some variability. On the other hand, Astaxanthin exhibited the least stable binding, suggesting limited antiviral potential. This research provides insights into the possible roles of these natural compounds as antagonists of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro enzyme. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to confirm the antiviral properties of these compounds, and future research should investigate their broader antiviral applications.

Worldwide urbanization and subsequent migration have accelerated the emergence and spread of diverse novel human diseases. Among them, diseases caused by viruses could result in epidemics, typified by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which hit the globe towards the end of December 2019. The global battle against SARS-CoV-2 has reignited interest in finding alternative treatments for viral infections. The marine world offers a large repository of diverse and unique bioactive compounds. Over the years, many antiviral compounds from marine organisms have been isolated and tested in vitro and in vivo. However, given the increasing need for alternative treatment, in silico analysis appears to provide a time- and cost-effective approach to identifying the potential antiviral compounds from the vast pool of natural metabolites isolated from marine organisms. In this perspective review, we discuss marine-derived bioactive metabolites as potential therapeutics for all known disease-causing viruses including the SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrate the efficacy of marine-derived bioactive metabolites in the context of various antiviral activities and their in silico, in vitro, and in vivo capacities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified COVID-19 as a pandemic infection due to the global spread of new corona virus infections. Due to this virus infection, millions of people all around the world had to die or endure severe disease. It will be crucial to find new therapeutic treatments in order to prepare for a similar viral pandemic in the future. Carrageenans have apparently been effective against 12 viruses, including SAR-COV-2. In this investigation, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and main protease (Mpro) were used as molecular targets for virtual screening of kappa-, lambda-, and iota- carrageenans. When compared to antiviral drugs, the results show that all three carrageenans have substantial binding affinity for ACE2 and Mpro. The binding affinity of iota-carrageenan is greater than that of other compounds. The binding affinity suggests that carrageenans could be utilized to produce potent antiviral drugs.