Natural Products Homoharringtonine and Emetine Alkaloids as SARS-CoV-2 Treatment Options

Background: Viruses are known as the major causative agents for infectious diseases globally. The coronaviruses are one of the serious pathogens to cause serious diseases in humans. Recently identified SARS-CoV-2 from Wuhan City, China, has emerged as a serious threat to human health and caused a global pandem-Bats have been confirmed as a primary source of infection. The vaccination of the human population and an-imals serving as a potential reservoir is a straightforward strategy to control the transmission of any pathogen to humans. Natural products from many herbal plants are well known to have novel antiviral properties and evalu-ated against various viral diseases. There are many alkaloids that have shown to be effective against corona -viruses. Methods: Recently, the antiviral efficacy of natural alkaloids known as Homoharringtonine (HTT) and Emetine has been evaluated and provided promising results against coronaviruses, including SARS-CoVs. These alka-loids may be very useful and can be used as antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 because they have already been re -ported to inhibit the replication of SASRS-CoV and other viruses in cell lines. Conclusion: This review specifically focuses on the recent findings of these alkaloids against coronaviruses and possible treatment options for SARS-CoV-2. It is expected that natural products as alkaloids from herbal plants could be considered as novel and valuable candidates for the new antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2.