In Silico Screening of Moroccan Medicinal Plants with the Ability to Directly Inhibit the Novel Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2

Three years ago, a study was conducted to investigate natural compounds in Moroccan medicinal plants that could potentially inhibit SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. The researchers first identified 41 natural inhibitors of SARS or MERS coronaviruses from literature, and then selected 13 that had been biologically tested and confirmed to have anti-coronavirus activity and could be orally bioavailable. These 13 compounds were found to interact with the virus proteins as predicted. The study also identified 29 Moroccan medicinal plants that contained at least 3 of these 13 coronavirus inhibitors, suggesting that these plants might contain direct anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds.