Etrog Citron (Citrus medica) as a Novel Source of Antiviral Agents: Overview of Its Bioactive Phytochemicals and Delivery Approaches

Arik Dahan; Ludmila Yarmolinsky; Faina Nakonechny; Olga Semenova; Boris Khalfin; Sigal Fleisher-Berkovich; Shimon Ben-Shabat

doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics17091173

Etrog Citron (Citrus medica) as a Novel Source of Antiviral Agents: Overview of Its Bioactive Phytochemicals and Delivery Approaches

Arik Dahan
, Ludmila Yarmolinsky
, Faina Nakonechny
, Olga Semenova
, Boris Khalfin
, Sigal Fleisher-Berkovich
, Shimon Ben-Shabat

Department of Chemical Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significant challenge of insufficient antiviral pharmacological options. Edible plants offer a promising avenue for developing novel antiviral drugs. Etrog citron (Citrus medica L.), which is a valuable edible and medicinal plant, contains various antiviral phytochemicals, mainly flavonoids, coumarins, and terpenes. However, the therapeutic application of these compounds remains limited by factors such as poor solubility, limited bioavailability, and unclear mechanisms of action. The aim of the present article is to offer a comprehensive analysis of the antiviral phytochemicals extracted from various parts of Citrus medica, emphasizing their mode of action and delivery strategies that may allow turning these compounds into new antiviral drugs.

Original language	English
Article number	1173
Journal	Pharmaceutics
Volume	17
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17091173
State	Published - Sep 2025

Keywords

Citrus medica
antiviral properties
coumarins
etrog citron
flavonoids
terpenes

Access to Document

10.3390/pharmaceutics17091173

Cite this

@article{fb7326edf9484d8cba08c0c8c98f8986,

title = "Etrog Citron (Citrus medica) as a Novel Source of Antiviral Agents: Overview of Its Bioactive Phytochemicals and Delivery Approaches",

abstract = "The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significant challenge of insufficient antiviral pharmacological options. Edible plants offer a promising avenue for developing novel antiviral drugs. Etrog citron (Citrus medica L.), which is a valuable edible and medicinal plant, contains various antiviral phytochemicals, mainly flavonoids, coumarins, and terpenes. However, the therapeutic application of these compounds remains limited by factors such as poor solubility, limited bioavailability, and unclear mechanisms of action. The aim of the present article is to offer a comprehensive analysis of the antiviral phytochemicals extracted from various parts of Citrus medica, emphasizing their mode of action and delivery strategies that may allow turning these compounds into new antiviral drugs.",

keywords = "Citrus medica, antiviral properties, coumarins, etrog citron, flavonoids, terpenes",

author = "Arik Dahan and Ludmila Yarmolinsky and Faina Nakonechny and Olga Semenova and Boris Khalfin and Sigal Fleisher-Berkovich and Shimon Ben-Shabat",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 by the authors.",

year = "2025",

month = sep,

doi = "10.3390/pharmaceutics17091173",

language = "אנגלית",

volume = "17",

journal = "Pharmaceutics",

issn = "1999-4923",

publisher = "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)",

number = "9",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Etrog Citron (Citrus medica) as a Novel Source of Antiviral Agents

T2 - Overview of Its Bioactive Phytochemicals and Delivery Approaches

AU - Dahan, Arik

AU - Yarmolinsky, Ludmila

AU - Nakonechny, Faina

AU - Semenova, Olga

AU - Khalfin, Boris

AU - Fleisher-Berkovich, Sigal

AU - Ben-Shabat, Shimon

PY - 2025/9

Y1 - 2025/9

N2 - The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significant challenge of insufficient antiviral pharmacological options. Edible plants offer a promising avenue for developing novel antiviral drugs. Etrog citron (Citrus medica L.), which is a valuable edible and medicinal plant, contains various antiviral phytochemicals, mainly flavonoids, coumarins, and terpenes. However, the therapeutic application of these compounds remains limited by factors such as poor solubility, limited bioavailability, and unclear mechanisms of action. The aim of the present article is to offer a comprehensive analysis of the antiviral phytochemicals extracted from various parts of Citrus medica, emphasizing their mode of action and delivery strategies that may allow turning these compounds into new antiviral drugs.

AB - The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significant challenge of insufficient antiviral pharmacological options. Edible plants offer a promising avenue for developing novel antiviral drugs. Etrog citron (Citrus medica L.), which is a valuable edible and medicinal plant, contains various antiviral phytochemicals, mainly flavonoids, coumarins, and terpenes. However, the therapeutic application of these compounds remains limited by factors such as poor solubility, limited bioavailability, and unclear mechanisms of action. The aim of the present article is to offer a comprehensive analysis of the antiviral phytochemicals extracted from various parts of Citrus medica, emphasizing their mode of action and delivery strategies that may allow turning these compounds into new antiviral drugs.

KW - Citrus medica

KW - antiviral properties

KW - coumarins

KW - etrog citron

KW - flavonoids

KW - terpenes

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105016994195

U2 - 10.3390/pharmaceutics17091173

DO - 10.3390/pharmaceutics17091173

M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.systematicreview???

AN - SCOPUS:105016994195

SN - 1999-4923

VL - 17

JO - Pharmaceutics

JF - Pharmaceutics

IS - 9

M1 - 1173

ER -

Etrog Citron (Citrus medica) as a Novel Source of Antiviral Agents: Overview of Its Bioactive Phytochemicals and Delivery Approaches

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this