the role of phenolic acids in the treatment of viral infections

Viral infections continue to pose significant global health challenges despite advances in modern medicine. current antiviral therapies face several limitations, including high cost, the emergence of drug resistance, restricted spectrum of activity and most importantly, the insufficient number of available antiviral agents. these shortcomings highlight the urgent need for the development of novel therapeutic options. among natural products, plant-derived phenolic acids have attracted increasing attention due to their diverse biological activities. their antiviral properties are mediated through multiple mechanisms, such as inhibition of viral entry and release, suppression of viral enzymes, disruption of replication processes and modulation of host immune and inflammatory responses. literature evidence indicates that caffeic acid and its derivatives, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid and ellagic acid are the most extensively studied phenolic acids in this context. most available studies remain at the in vitro or preclinical stage, with limited clinical validation. in this review, the antiviral activities of phenolic acids are examined in relation to five clinically significant viruses including influenza a virus, herpes simplex viruses (hsv-1/2), hepatitis b virus (hbv), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (sars-cov-2) and human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). although no phenolic acid has yet received fda approval as a standalone antiviral drug, emerging evidence suggests their potential as adjuvants in combination therapies. this review emphasizes the importance of phenolic acids as promising antiviral candidates and aims to provide a foundation for future translational research in this field.