TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE: A PATH WORTH EXPLORING IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19?

By the end of December 2019, a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 capable of causing pneumonia and respiratory failure emerged in Wuhan, China. The disease resulting from the virus was named COVID-19. [1,2] Despite the efforts to contain the spread of the virus, by March 2020, the WHO declared the world is facing a full-scale pandemic. TCM has been practiced for more than 5000 years and has gathered knowledge throughout the millennia in the fight against epidemic and pandemic threats. [3,4] In this study, 69 TCM entities, as well as eight formulas, were tested in vitro to observe any possible antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 using Vero E6 cells as host cells for the virus. In conclusion, four entities and a formula showed remarkable antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2: Moutan cortex, Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma, Armeniacae semen amarum,Cinnamomum ramulus, and Qingfei Paidu Decoction. The Qingfei Paidu Decoction contains twenty-one herbs and not only such as: Ephedrae herba, Glycyrrhizae radix, Armeniacae semen, Gypsum fibrosum, Cinnamomi ramulus, Alismatis rhizoma, Polyporus, Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma, Poria, Bupleuri radix, Scutellariae radix, Pinellinae rhizoma, Zingiberis rhizoma, Asteris radix, Farfarae flos, Belamcandae rhizoma, Asari radix et rhizoma, Dioscoreae rhizoma, Aurantii rructus immaturus, Citri reticulatae pericarpium and Pogostemonis herba. These results support the idea of using TCM as an adjuvant treatment to the western ones in the fight against COVID-19 disease.3. Good health and well-bein

In vitro antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 of common herbal medicinal extracts and their bioactive compounds.

Evaluation du potentiel antiviral de drogues végétale

HALOGENATION OF ETHANOL EXTRACT FROM PAEONIA SUFFRUTICOSA: EXPLORING PROMISING PATHWAYS FOR ANTI-SARS-COV-2 MEDICATION DEVELOPMENT

peer reviewedThe COVID-19 pandemic is now considered as an established and ongoing health issue according to the World Health Organization, presenting challenges worldwide despite available pharmaceutical interventions. In response to the pandemic, the Chinese government has proposed the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a complementary approach to conventional treatments. TCM, deeply rooted in Asian healthcare, has gathered interest for its potential application in Western countries. The present study focuses on preliminary investigations of halogenation processes applied to the ethanol extract obtained from Paeonia suffruticosa, a traditional Chinese plant, with the aim of enhancing its biological activity, particularly against SARS-CoV-2. Before achieving hemisynthesis on the crude extract, quercetin was choosen to find the optimal reaction conditions of the halogenation step, considering its presence in Paeonia suffruticosa, its abundance and cost-effectiveness. Various halogenation methods were evaluated, including the use of N-bromosuccinimide and an environmentally friendly (green) approach using sodium bromide and hydrogen peroxide. Both methods yielded promising results after LC-MS monitoring. The green methodology was then used on the Paeonia suffruticosa ethanol extract, successfully generating brominated derivatives, such as dibromopaeonol and dibromooxypaeoniflorin. In conclusion, this preliminary study highlights the potential of halogenation processes to modify the ethanol extract from Paeonia suffruticosa and potentially enhance its anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties. These findings provide insights into the potential interest of TCM in the development of new lead compounds to fight the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Further investigations are however needed to validate these results and explore other promising late-stage functionalization strategies, using innovative green synthetic approaches

Comparison of cannabinoids and terpenes profiles of different hemp extracts obtained from Felina and Santhica varieties cultivated in Belgium

editorial reviewedHemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a widely-distributed herbaceous plant known for its abundant secondary metabolites diversity, such as cannabinoids and terpenes [1]. These compounds have been extensively studied for a wide range of therapeutic applications, making hemp a valuable resource in the medical field [2]. Our study compares the phytochemical profiles of extracts from two hemp varieties (Felina 32 and Santhica 70) cultivated in Gembloux (Belgium). Extractions were performed with either ethanol or acidified hexane (0.1% acetic acid in hexane v/v) at different temperatures, using a Pressurized Solvent Extraction (PSE) instrument. Major cannabinoids were quantified by an HPLC-UV/DAD method aimed at separating the acidic and the neutral forms of cannabinoids [3]. A GC-FID method using an internal standard was developed to quantitatively assess the terpenes composition of the extract. Our results showed that yield extraction was higher with ethanol (14-27% w/w) than with hexane (5-14% w/w) for both varieties. Interestingly, we observed that cannabinoids and terpenes content is higher for the lowest extraction-yield solvent (hexane), indicating a better selectivity of hexane. Felina content in CBD-A and CBD (2,74% w/w) was similar to the Santhica content in CBG-A and CBG (2,38% w/w) in the raw material. However, metabolite contents decrease while increasing extraction temperature, especially for terpenes compounds. In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of understanding extraction parameters for obtaining high-quality hemp extracts with specific cannabinoid and terpene profiles. These findings could have a noteworthy impact on the advancement of hemp-based therapeutic products that require consistent and standardized compositions