In the present study, the anti-influenza A (H2N2) virus activity of patchouli alcohol was studied in vitro, in vivo and in silico. The CC50 of patchouli alcohol was above 20 µM. Patchouli alcohol could inhibit influenza virus with an IC50 of 4.03 ± 0.23 µM. MTT assay showed that the inhibition by patchouli alcohol appears strongly after penetration of the virus into the cell. In the influenza mouse model, patchouli alcohol showed obvious protection against the viral infection at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day. Flexible docking and molecular dynamic simulations indicated that patchouli alcohol was bound to the neuraminidase protein of influenza virus, with an interaction energy of –40.38 kcal mol–1. The invariant key active-site residues Asp151, Arg152, Glu119, Glu276 and Tyr406 played important roles during the binding process. Based on spatial and energetic criteria, patchouli alcohol interfered with the NA functions. Results presented here suggest that patchouli alcohol possesses anti-influenza A (H2N2) virus properties, and therefore is a potential source of anti-influenza agents for the pharmaceutical industry.

The current business environment characterized by high uncertainty, volatility, and stiff situation of competitiveness that is evident in almost every sector has increased the importance of workplace innovation for contemporary businesses. In this regard, a considerable attention in realizing employees of an organization as a source of innovation is not evident from the existing literature. In this aspect, the current study is an attempt to foster workplace innovation through employees in the SME sector of an emerging economy. In doing so, the authors propose that corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of an SME, along with workplace autonomy, are helpful in creating an environment at the workplace that fosters innovative employee behavior (IEB). Furthermore, the current study also extends the boundary condition of the theory of self-determination by arguing that this theory provides a comprehensive framework to explain employees’ motivation for workplace innovation. The data of the current survey was obtained from the SME sector situated in two large cities of a developing country through a self-administered questionnaire which was then analyzed through structural-equation-modeling (SEM) using the AMOS software. The results confirmed that CSR directly relates to IEB and workplace autonomy mediates this relationship. The study also discusses the implications of this survey for theory and practice.

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