Monkeypox as an emerging public health concern: Evidence gaps, translational barriers, transmission, risk factors, and prevention strategies.

Abstract

Monkeypox (MPOXV) remains an important global health concern, while disease-specific therapeutic options are limited and clinical management continues to rely largely on antivirals originally developed for smallpox. Research on smallpox therapeutics remains the mainstay of clinical management for monkeypox (MPOX) infection. Furthermore, no special-purpose antivirals for MPX exist. Consequently, several in vitro studies on MPOXV have been dominated by computational approaches and focused on nanotechnology and phytochemical strategies. This article reviews and evaluates phytochemical and antiviral strategies for MPOXV based on evidence quality and volume. Many of the phytochemical and antiviral strategies for MPOXV are dominated by computational approaches and, in some cases, are completely lacking in vitro or in vivo evidence. Moreover, many of the nanotechnology strategies for MPOXV have been extrapolated from other diseases and/or based on other viruses. Developing these strategies further requires innovation and execution of MPOXV-specific experimental and research efforts.