viruses Review Antiviral Activity Exerted by Natural Products against Human Viruses Maria Musarra-Pizzo 1, Rosamaria Pennisi 1,2 , Ichrak Ben-Amor 1,3, Giuseppina Mandalari 1,* and Maria Teresa Sciortino 1,* 1 Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale SS. Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy;
[email protected] (M.M.-P.);
[email protected] (R.P.);
[email protected] (I.B.-A.) 2 Shenzhen International Institute for Biomedical Research, 1301 Guanguang Rd. 3F Building 1-B, Silver Star Hi-Tech Park Longhua District, Shenzhen 518116, China 3 Unit of Biotechnology and Pathologies, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3029, Tunisia * Correspondence:
[email protected] (G.M.);
[email protected] (M.T.S.); Tel.: +39-090-6767-5217 (G.M. & M.T.S.) Abstract: Viral infections are responsible for several chronic and acute diseases in both humans and animals. Despite the incredible progress in human medicine, several viral diseases, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, respiratory syndromes, and hepatitis, are still associated with high morbidity and mortality rates in humans. Natural products from plants or other organisms are a rich source of structurally novel chemical compounds including antivirals. Indeed, in traditional medicine, many pathological conditions have been treated using plant-derived medicines. Thus, the identification of novel alternative antiviral agents is of critical importance. In this review, we summarize novel phytochemicals with antiviral activity against human viruses and their potential application in treating or preventing viral disease. Citation: Musarra-Pizzo, M.; Pennisi, R.; Ben-Amor, I.; Mandalari, G.; Keywords: viral infections; natural bioactive compounds; novel antiviral drugs; drug resistance Sciortino, M.T.