In vitro antiviral activity of Brazilian Cerrado plant extracts against animal and human herpesviruses

Abstract

The Brazilian savanna known as "Cerrado" is very rich in medicinal plants that are used by the local population for treatment of several illnesses. The herpesvirus is a serious problem worldwide, and affects both animal and human health. This work aimed to study the antiviral activity of eight extracts from plants natives of "Cerrado" region against human (HSV-1), equine (EqHV-1) and swine herpesviruses (SuHV-1). The results showed that all plant extracts: Banisteriopsis variabilis, Byrsonima intermedia, Campomanesia xanthocarpa, Erythroxilum deciduum, Lacistema hasslerianum, Ocotea pulchella, Stryphodendron adstringens and Xylopia aromatica presented antiviral activity against at least one herpesvirus. Furthermore, it was observed a direct anti-herpes effect of extracts from B. variabilis and B. intermedia in non-toxic concentrations against all herpesviruses. B. intermedia crude aqueous extract showed the most promising results with selective index values of the 41.76 ± 0.04; 4.12 ± 0.1 and 193.97 ± 0.09 respectively against HSV-1, EqHV-1 and SuHV-1. Due to this, B. intermedia extract was also analyzed by HPLC/MS allowing for the identification of gallic acid and quercetin as main compounds.

A Review on Antiviral Plants Effective Against Different Virus Types

“…Among the species used, Banisteriopsis variabilis, Byrsonima intermedia, Campomanesia xanthocarpa, Erythroxilum deciduum, Lacistema hasslerianum, Ocotea pulchella, Stryphodendron adstringens and Xylopia aromatica were found to have significant effects. It has also been reported that the best effect is seen in B. intermedia [59]. In a study conducted in China, the effect of different extracts of plant species used on HSV-1 was investigated.…”