Natural Product Bioactive as Antiviral Agents Against Zika Virus

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a Flavivirus belonging to the Flaviviridae family transmitted by an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito’s bite. Although it is not a highly lethal infection; however, it is associated with several morbidities such as damage to the testicles, eye damage, Guillain–Barre syndrome, fetal microcephaly, and other severe neurological complications. Due to the complications associated with the ZIKV infection and because it is also transmitted through sexual, blood, and perinatal routes, this disease becomes a serious public health problem. Since there are still no effective drugs and a licensed vaccine to control and combat the virus, many therapeutic resources from biodiversity have stood out searching for anti-ZIKV agents. In this context, plants are important sources of raw materials and prototypes for the synthesis of new drugs with therapeutic properties. Thus, this study brings a full review from classes of natural products such as phenolic compounds (flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, and quinones), alkaloids and terpenes (including triterpenes, saponins, and steroids), and plant species and their bioproducts as essential oils (mono, sesquiterpenes, and phenylpropanoids), with antiviral potential against ZIKV strains evidenced by in vitro and in vivo tests.