The Phytochemical Silvestrol Shows Promise as Safe COVID-19 Treatment for Children
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Sep 03, 2025 5 months, 4 weeks, 16 hours, 43 minutes ago
Thailand Medical News: Why Scientists Are Exploring New Treatments for Children
COVID-19 has been especially worrying for children because most available drugs, like remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies, were created with adults in mind. Safety concerns limit their use in younger patients, leaving parents and doctors searching for safer, child-friendly alternatives. Researchers at Pu'er People's Hospital, Pu'er, China have now turned their attention to Silvestrol, a natural compound from the plant Euphorbia hirta, to see if it could help fight COVID-19 in children. This
Thailand Medical News report looks into the key details of their findings.
The Phytochemical Silvestrol from the Herb Euphorbia hirta Shows Promise as Safe COVID-19 Treatment for Children
How Silvestrol Works Against the Virus
Silvestrol was tested using advanced computer-based molecular docking techniques. The results revealed that Silvestrol attaches strongly to the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. With a binding energy of -7.5 Kcal/mol, it suggests that Silvestrol may block the virus from entering human cells. Additional molecular dynamics simulations showed that the compound stabilizes within the viral protein over time, making it more effective at locking out the virus.
Chemical Properties That Boost Its Effectiveness
The researchers also mapped out the pharmacophore, identifying four hydrogen bond donors, 12 hydrogen bond acceptors, and eight hydrophobic sites. These chemical properties allow Silvestrol to interact firmly with the virus, giving it an edge as an antiviral compound. Importantly, ADMET analysis, which predicts how the body absorbs and processes drugs, indicated that Silvestrol has favorable pharmacokinetics. It also showed a low toxicity profile with an LD50 value of 2300 mg/kg, meaning it has a wide safety margin.
Safety and Potential Concerns
Silvestrol appears safe overall, but the study flagged possible risks of immunotoxicity and nutritional toxicity that must be studied further.
Interestingly, the compound has also shown tumor-killing properties in laboratory settings, highlighting its wide range of biological effects. A DFT analysis value of 0.20606 eV further confirmed its potential stability in antiviral action.
What the Findings Mean
The results suggest Silvestrol could become a new therapeutic option for pediatric COVID-19. It combines strong antiviral effects, low toxicity, and good pharmacological behavior, making it highly promising. Still, the researchers stress that these results are based on computational and laboratory models. Clinical trials in children will be essential to confirm both its safety and real-world effectiveness.
The study findings were published as a preprint abstract in the peer reviewed journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology.
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tps://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1673591/abstract
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