PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (July 23, 2020) – In response to COVID-19, researchers at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) are turning to the medicinal properties found in plants to help fight the pandemic.
Sameh Abdelwahed, assistant professor of chemistry at PVAMU, is the principal investigator (PI) of a project that seeks to develop antiviral plant products that can create macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytochemicals to fight COVID-19.
Sameh Abdelwahed, Ph.D.
“Plant metabolism generates many useful compounds that have medicinal properties and provides leads for drug discovery,” Abdelwahed said. “Herbal drugs have been used in clinics for thousands of years to treat diseases. Antiviral herbal medicines have been used in many historical epidemics, and their analogs have been employed as the first line of defense against viral diseases such as COVID-19.”
The project, Development of Antiviral Plant Products to Prevent and Treat COVID-19 and Future Pandemics, has been submitted to be sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
It includes three distinct goals:
- To develop three Artemisia-based products fortified with roselle and ginger, including a tea, drink, and tincture (a medicine made by dissolving a drug in alcohol);
- Determine appropriate levels of essential phytochemicals, macronutrients, and micronutrients in the products developed;
- Grow and develop a seed bank for both Artemisia and roselle production in Texas.
“The developed products could be potential sources of pharmaceutical drugs that will contribute to the prevention and treatment of viral diseases, drug-resistant infections, and future viral pandemics,” Abdelwahed said. “Furthermore, the seed bank created from growing artemisia and roselle would be a source of adapted plants seeds for expanded production in Texas and beyond to meet future demands.”
Based on available funding, Abdelwahed plans to test these plants’ effectiveness against the COVID-19 virus.
“Chemistry plays an important role in the movement of society,” Abdelwahed said. “Our department aims to spread awareness and knowledge in the life science fields by providing researchers and professors who are able to deal with modern changes and contribute to the development of our scientific, health, industrial, and environmental institutions to solve the problems that we all encounter.”
Co-PIs for the project include PVAMU’s Grace Abolaji, Peter Ampim, Ahmad Jumaid, and Eric Obeng. The project will also provide a hands-on experience for 12 undergraduate students.
###
By Kendall Hebert