Berberine is an alkaloid extracted from Coptidis rhizome. Among the individual herbal components of a Chinese herb medicine, Ching-Wei-San, Coptidis Rhizoma has the most potent antimicrobial activity. By high-pressure liquid chromatography, the quantitative analysis of berberine from 6.25-mg/mL (w/v) Coptidis rhizome extract or 50.00-mg/mL (w/v) Ching-Wei-San was determined to be 0.26 mg/mL. To explore the potential use of Ching-Wei-San against herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, the cytotoxicity, anti-HSV-1 and anti-HSV-2 activity in Vero cells were assayed. The selectivity index of berberine was about 1.2-1.5 times higher than that of Coptidis rhizome extract and Ching-Wei-San. Moreover, the antiviral activities correspond to the content of berberine in the aqueous solution. Berberine may interfere with the viral replication cycle after virus penetration and no later than the viral DNA synthesis step, and its activities were not affected by the preparation processes. Berberine, the natural plants that contain this component, including Coptidis rhizome, and Ching-Wei-San have all shown anti-HSV effects.

Viruses are considered to be one of the high-risk factors closely related to human breast cancer. However, different studies of viruses in breast cancer present conflicting results and some of these works remain in dispute. DNA viruses, such as specific types of human papillomaviruses (HPV), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8), have emerged as causal factors of some human cancers. These respective exogenous viruses and the possibility of multiple viral factors are discussed in this review.

Although Rhodiola rosea (L.) is used widely and disseminated in Oriental medicine, its in vivo effects on cytokine modulation remain unclear. Among the biologically active components of Rhodiola rosea, salidroside was suggested to be the most active compound. The objectives of this study were to assess the toxicity and cytokine modulation effects of Rhodiola rosea standardised solution (RRSS) and salidroside. Quantitative high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis determined the content of salidroside in RRSS to be 4.39% (w/v). Groups of Balb/c mice were fed daily with different doses of RRSS or salidroside, with CAPE or distilled water used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The acute and subacute toxicity tests did not reveal weight differences, pathological changes, or abnormalities in liver or kidney function indices among the treated groups. Ovalbumin-primed mouse cytokine assays demonstrated that both T helper (Th1) (IL-2 and IFN-γ) and Th2 (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokines were significantly increased by feeding with RRSS in a dose- and time-dependent manner (p < 0.05). Moreover, the cytokine modulation effects of salidroside were less prominent than that of RRSS treatment and not dose-dependent. These findings suggest that increased secretion of both Th1- and Th2-pattern cytokines can be achieved with RRSS and salidroside treatment.

Acute infectious gastroenteritis causes high morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. The most important cause of gastroenteritis is virus infection. Diarrhea is the dominant symptom of viral gastroenteritis. It subsequently induces dehydration and malnutrition, which contribute to high morbidity and mortality in children. In Taiwan, rotavirus is the major cause (30.4-48%) of infectious gastroenteritis, followed by adenovirus (9.1-19.8%), norovirus (8.2-25%), enterovirus (< 5.2 %), astrovirus (2.7-2.9%) and other viruses (including sapovirus)(< 1 %). Untreated gastroenteritis is the major cause of infantile mortality, which leads to human tragedy and economic burden. In Taiwan, the cost of admission or hospitalization associated with gastroenterovirus infection is about more than 40% of the monthly salary of an unskilled or service worker. Understanding the epidemiology of gastroenterovirus and its induced host immune response could benefit the development for prevention and therapeutic management of gastroenterovirus. This review summarizes the epidemiological information and current knowledge of gastroenteroviruses that cause gastroenteritis in Taiwan.