Volume 8 - Pre-proof (Accepted manuscript)
pbp 2026, 8 - Pre-proof (Accepted manuscript): 0-0 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Alencar Menezes I, Martinez F, Bahmani M. Phytotherapeutic Potential of Medicinal Plants Against Hepatitis C: A Review. pbp 2026; 8
URL: http://pbp.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-373-en.html
URL: http://pbp.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-373-en.html
1- Post-Graduate Program in Chemical Biology, Regional University of Cariri—URCA, Crato 63105-000, Ceará, Brazil , irwin.alencar@urca.br
2- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Colombia
3- Biotechnology and Medicinal Plants Research, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
2- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Colombia
3- Biotechnology and Medicinal Plants Research, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
Abstract: (20 Views)
Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major global health challenge, contributing to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have markedly improved treatment outcomes, their high cost and potential adverse effects limit accessibility, particularly in low-resource settings. Consequently, there is increasing interest in exploring medicinal plants as alternative or complementary therapies for HCV management.
Methods: This systematic review analyzed 12 peer-reviewed studies investigating the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants with anti-HCV activity. Extracted data included plant species, bioactive compounds, mechanisms of action, and hepatoprotective properties.
Results: Several plants demonstrated notable antiviral and hepatoprotective effects, including Citrus aurantium L., Cynara cardunculus L., Acacia nilotica, Marrubium peregrinum L., Camellia sinensis L., Olea europaea, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Maytenus ilicifolia, Lamium album L., Artemisia annua L., and Silybum marianum L. These botanicals exert therapeutic effects through diverse mechanisms, including inhibition of viral entry, suppression of viral replication, modulation of immune responses, antioxidant activity, and hepatocyte protection.
Conclusion: Medicinal plants exhibit promising anti-HCV and hepatoprotective activities, indicating their potential as affordable and well-tolerated therapeutic options. Nevertheless, further in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies are required to validate efficacy, establish standardized dosages, and assess long-term safety. Integration of phytotherapy with conventional antiviral regimens may enhance treatment outcomes and reduce the global healthcare burden associated with hepatitis C.
Methods: This systematic review analyzed 12 peer-reviewed studies investigating the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants with anti-HCV activity. Extracted data included plant species, bioactive compounds, mechanisms of action, and hepatoprotective properties.
Results: Several plants demonstrated notable antiviral and hepatoprotective effects, including Citrus aurantium L., Cynara cardunculus L., Acacia nilotica, Marrubium peregrinum L., Camellia sinensis L., Olea europaea, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Maytenus ilicifolia, Lamium album L., Artemisia annua L., and Silybum marianum L. These botanicals exert therapeutic effects through diverse mechanisms, including inhibition of viral entry, suppression of viral replication, modulation of immune responses, antioxidant activity, and hepatocyte protection.
Conclusion: Medicinal plants exhibit promising anti-HCV and hepatoprotective activities, indicating their potential as affordable and well-tolerated therapeutic options. Nevertheless, further in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies are required to validate efficacy, establish standardized dosages, and assess long-term safety. Integration of phytotherapy with conventional antiviral regimens may enhance treatment outcomes and reduce the global healthcare burden associated with hepatitis C.
Type of Study: Review/Systemtic review |
Subject:
Phytomedicine
Received: 2025/11/17 | Accepted: 2026/01/1 | Published: 2026/01/1
Received: 2025/11/17 | Accepted: 2026/01/1 | Published: 2026/01/1
References
1. Hoofnagle JH. Course and outcome of hepatitis C. Hepatology. 2002 Nov;36(S1):S21-9.
2. Alter MJ. Epidemiology of hepatitis C. Hepatology. 1997 Dec;26:62S-5S.
3. Tavakolpour S, Darvishi M, Mirsafaei HS, Ghasemiadl M. Nucleoside/nucleotide analogues in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection during pregnancy: a systematic review. Infect Dis. 2018 Feb;50(2):95-106.
4. Raoofi R, Nazer MR, Pournia Y. Seroepidemiology of hepatitis E virus in Western Iran. Braz J Infect Dis. 2012;16:302-3.
5. Negahdari B, Darvishi M, Saeedi AA. Gold nanoparticles and hepatitis B virus. Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol. 2019 Dec;47(1):455-61.
6. Sandmann L, Schulte B, Manns MP, Maasoumy B. Treatment of chronic hepatitis C: efficacy, side effects and complications. Viscer Med. 2019 May;35(3):161-70.
7. Dokhani N, Nazer M, Skokri S, Darvishi M. Determination and evaluation of the antioxidant properties of Ziziphus nummularia, Crataegus pontica and Scrophularia striata. Egypt J Vet Sci. 2022 Aug;53(3):423-9.
8. Manouchehri A, Shakib P, Biglaryan F, Nazer M, Darvishi M. The most important medicinal plants affecting bee stings: a systematic review study. Uludağ Arıcılık Derg. 2021 Dec;21(1):91-103.
9. Esmaeili A, Parsaei P, Nazer M, Bakhtiari R, Mirbehresi H, Safian Boldaji H. Phytotherapy in burn wound healing: a review of native Iranian medicinal plants. J Chem Health Risks. 2023 Mar;13(1):17-29.
10. Ebrahimi Y, Al-Baghdady HFA, Hameed NM, Iswanto AH, Shnain Ali M, Hammoodi HA, et al. Common fatty acids and polyphenols in olive oil and its benefits to heart and human health. Casp J Environ Sci. 2022 Oct;():1-7. doi:10.22124/cjes.2022.5976
11. Amiri J. Phytochemical and antioxidant properties of premix extract of brown macroalgae, Padina australis, Sargassum licifolium, and Stoechospermum marginatum from Chabahar coasts, Southeastern Iran. Aquat Anim Nutr. 2024;10(1):27-41. doi:10.22124/janb.2024.26283.1229
12. Ebrahimi Y, Abdalkareem Jasim S, Mohammed BA, Salman NA, Jabbar AM, Hameed N, et al. Determination of antioxidant properties of Mentha longifolia, Pistacia khinjuk and Eucalyptus globulus. Casp J Environ Sci. 2022;():1-6. doi:10.22124/cjes.2022.6065
13. Wahyuni TS, Tumewu L, Permanasari AA, Apriani E, Adianti M, Rahman A, et al. Antiviral activities of Indonesian medicinal plants in the East Java region against hepatitis C virus. Virol J. 2013 Dec;10:1-9.
14. Nahmias Y, Goldwasser J, Casali M, Van Poll D, Wakita T, Chung RT, et al. Apolipoprotein B–dependent hepatitis C virus secretion is inhibited by the grapefruit flavonoid naringenin. Hepatology. 2008;47(5):1437-45.
15. Huber R, Müller M, Naumann J, Schenk T, Lüdtke R. Artichoke leave extract for chronic hepatitis C–a pilot study. Phytomedicine. 2009 Sep;16(9):801-4.
16. Rehman S, Ashfaq UA, Riaz S, et al. Antiviral activity of Acacia nilotica against hepatitis C virus in liver infected cells. Virol J. 2011;8:220. doi:10.1186/1743-422X-8-220
17. Haid S, Novodomská A, Gentzsch J, Grethe C, Geuenich S, Bankwitz D, et al. A plant-derived flavonoid inhibits entry of all HCV genotypes into human hepatocytes. Gastroenterology. 2012;143(1):213-22.
18. Fukazawa H, Suzuki T, Wakita T, Murakami Y. A cell-based, microplate colorimetric screen identifies 7,8-benzoflavone and green tea gallate catechins as inhibitors of hepatitis C virus. Biol Pharm Bull. 2012;35(8):1320-7.
19. Kong L, Li S, Liao Q, Zhang Y, Sun R, Zhu X, et al. Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid: novel hepatitis C virus antivirals that inhibit NS5B activity. Antiviral Res. 2013 Apr;98(1):44-53.
20. Tang Y, Ou S, Ye L, Wang S. Pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics of glycycoumarin. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia. 2023 Jun;33(3):471-83.
21. Jardim AC, Igloi Z, Shimizu JF, Santos VA, Felippe LG, Mazzeu BF, et al. Natural compounds isolated from Brazilian plants are potent inhibitors of hepatitis C virus replication in vitro. Antiviral Res. 2015;115:39-47.
22. Elsebai MF, Koutsoudakis G, Saludes V, Perez-Vilaro G, Turpeinen A, Mattila S, et al. Pan-genotypic hepatitis C virus inhibition by natural products derived from the wild Egyptian artichoke. J Virol. 2015;90:1918-30.
23. Kelayeh TPS, Abedinzade M, Ghorbani A. A review on biological effects of Lamium album (white dead nettle) and its components. J Herbmed Pharmacol. 2018;8(3):185-93.
24. Siddiqui AJ, Danciu C, Ashraf SA, Moin A, Singh R, Alreshidi M, et al. Plants-derived biomolecules as potent antiviral phytomedicines: new insights on ethnobotanical evidences against coronaviruses. Plants. 2020;9(9):1244.
25. Gillessen A, Schmidt HHJ. Silymarin as supportive treatment in liver diseases: a narrative review. Adv Ther. 2020;37(4):1279-1301.
26. Elsebai MF, Mocan A, Atanasov AG. Cynaropicrin: a comprehensive research review and therapeutic potential as an anti-hepatitis C virus agent. Front Pharmacol. 2016 Dec;7:231724.
27. Rehman S, Ashfaq UA, Riaz S, Javed T, Riazuddin S. Antiviral activity of Acacia nilotica against hepatitis C virus in liver infected cells. Virol J. 2011 Dec;8:1-6.
28. Ashfaq UA, Idrees S. Medicinal plants against hepatitis C virus. World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Mar;20(11):2941-53.
29. Mahmood MS, Martínez JL, Aslam A, Rafique A, Vinet R, Laurido C, et al. Antiviral effects of green tea (Camellia sinensis) against pathogenic viruses in human and animals: a mini-review. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2016;13(2):176-84.
30. Soliman SS, Soliman MA. Protective activities of some extracts from Olea europaea leaves towards CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Chem Res J. 2019;4:62-75.
31. Adianti M, Aoki C, Komoto M, Deng L, Shoji I, Wahyuni TS, et al. Anti-hepatitis C virus compounds obtained from Glycyrrhiza uralensis and other Glycyrrhiza species. Microbiol Immunol. 2014 Mar;58(3):180-7.
32. Zhang H, Rothwangl K, Mesecar AD, Sabahi A, Rong L, Fong HH. Lamiridosins, hepatitis C virus entry inhibitors from Lamium album. J Nat Prod. 2009 Dec;72(12):2158-62.
33. Bao LD, Ren XH, Ma RL, Wang Y, Yuan HW, Lv HJ. Efficacy of Artemisia annua polysaccharides as an adjuvant to hepatitis C vaccination. Genet Mol Res. 2015 May;14(2):4957-65.
34. Soltani M, Abdi F, Shahsavari S. Exploring dermatological complications of drugs used in acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 treatment: a mini review. J Biochem Phytomed. 2024;3(1):8-13. doi:10.34172/jbp.2024.4
35. Nazarbaghi S, Eftekhari Z. Herbal remedies for migraine headaches based on knowledge and ethnobotanical studies of the northern border of Iran. Plant Biotechnol Persa. 2024;6(2):8-14.
36. Shahsavari S. A brief review of the medicinal effects of Scrophularia striata. J Biochem Phytomed. 2024;3(1):18-20. doi:10.34172/jbp.2024.6
37. Mivefroshan A, Pirhadi M. A review of medicinal plants effective on blood pressure: an ethnobotanical review. Plant Biotechnol Persa. 2024;6(2):25-30.
38. Soltanbeigi E, Soltani M. The role of plant secondary metabolites in industry, medicine, and health care. J Biochem Phytomed. 2024;3(1):5-7. doi:10.34172/jbp.2024.3
39. Amrollahi-Sharifabadi M, Kamalpour M, Rezaei Orimi J, Aghabeiglooei Z, Alimi-Sabour ES, Abdelaziz S. Potential usage of Ruta graveolens L. in ophthalmology. Plant Biotechnol Persa. 2024;6(1):53-64.
40. Babakhani M, Khaleghi S, Hajrasouliha S. Investigating the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles synthesized using the alcoholic extract of Spirulina subsalsa algae. Plant Biotechnol Persa. 2024;6(1):32-42.
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |