Severe complications associated with EV71 infections are a common cause of neonatal death. Lack of effective therapeutic agents for these infections underlines the importance of research for the development of new antiviral compounds. In the present study, the anti-EV71 activity of norwogonin, oroxylin A, and mosloflavone from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi was evaluated using a cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction method, which demonstrated that all three compounds possessed strong anti-EV71 activity and decreased the formation of visible CPEs. Norwogonin, oroxylin A, and mosloflavone also inhibited virus replication during the initial stage of virus infection, and they inhibited viral VP2 protein expression, thereby inhibiting viral capsid protein synthesis. However, ribavirin has a relatively weaker efficacy compared to the other drugs. Therefore, these findings provide important information that will aid in the utilization of norwogonin, oroxylin A, and mosloflavone for EV71 treatment.

ObjectivesEchovirus 30 is a major cause of meningitis in children and adults. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the antifungal drug itraconazole could exhibit antiviral activity against echovirus 30.MethodsThe cytopathic effect and viral RNA levels were assessed in RD cells as indicators of viral replication. The effects of itraconazole were compared to those of two known antiviral drugs, rupintrivir and pleconaril. The time course and time-of-addition assays were used to approximate the time at which itraconazole exerts its activity in the viral cycle.ResultsItraconazole and rupintrivir demonstrated the greatest potency against echovirus 30, demonstrating concentration-dependent activity, whereas pleconaril showed no antiviral activity. Itraconazole did not directly inactivate echovirus 30 particles or impede viral uptake into RD cells, but did affect the initial stages of echovirus 30 infection through interference with viral replication.ConclusionItraconazole can be considered a lead candidate for the development of antiviral drugs against echovirus 30 that may be used during the early stages of echovirus 30 replication.

Bioactivity-directed isolation has led to the isolation of (-)-ent-costunolide (1) as the major active compound from Hepatostolonophora paucistipula. This compound (1) was determined by spectroscopic data interpretation. This sesquiterpene lactone (1) inhibited the growth of the dermatophytic fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes ATCC 28185, (4 mm inhibition zone at 15 µg/ disc), cytotoxic activity to murine leukaemia cell lines ATCC CCL 46 P 388D1 (IC 5 0 687 ng/ml, at 0.075 µg/disk), BSC monkey kidney cell lines (100% of well at 15 µg/disk) and antiviral activity to Herpes simplex virus (0.25 mg/ml, 100% of well at 7.5 µg/disk) and Polio virus (0.125 mg/ml, 100% of well at 3.75 µg/disk). These results suggest that (-)-ent-costunolide (1) has potential antimicrobial and cytotoxic agents.

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The cytotoxic activity was strongly shown by (-)-ent-costunolide (1) (P388; IC 50 : 687 ng/mL) which isolated from Hepatostolonophora paucistipula. These results suggest that (-)-entcostunolide (1) has a potential cytotoxic activity.