LYCORINE: PROSPECTIVE NATURAL CURE FOR ZIKA VIRUS INFECTION

Abstract

In 2007, an epidemic of dengue-like illness ravaged the isolated island of the yap, federated state of Micronesia, located in the western pacific. Afterward, the centre for disease control and prevention (CDC) ascertained that the outbreak was as a result of the infection of a positive sense single stranded RNA arbovirus designated as ‘Zika virus’. This viral infection has an adverse complication on the children and pregnant women. In the latter, it can lead to preterm birth and miscarriage. Although this pathogenic arbovirus represent a serious health burden in tropical and sub-tropical areas worldwide no therapeutic agent to protect susceptible individual age the viral infection is in existence; therefore, inhibitors of Zika virus are therefore needed. A benzyl phenethylamine alkaloid denominated as ‘lycorine’ has shown to exhibit some medicinal qualities such as anti-cancer, anti-plasmodial, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication and so others. Furthermore, studies have indicated that lycorine is capable of restraining the rdpd activities of Zika virus. Due to its potency and ability against Zika virus infection in vivo and in vitro, lycorine might offer promising therapeutic possibilities for combating the pathogenic virus in the near future.