Abstract

THE ANTIVIRAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS

Eman A. E. AbuShady*, Khaled A. S. Aly, Azza M. S., Ghanem Mehreshan T. El-Mokadem and Hoda H. Abo-Ghalia

ABSTRACT

Back ground: Viral infections still remain a serious worldwide problem. The use of synthetic antiviral drugs is often unsatisfactory, as they may be accompanied with a rise of mutant viruses and side or toxic effects besides their high costs.[1] Plants may serve as promising sources of novel antiviral agents.[2] Aim of the work: is to test extracts of ten medicinal plants (seven essential oils and three ethanolic extracts) for their antiviral activity against HSV-1 & HAV as well as their antioxidant activity. Materials & methods: seven essential oils and three ethanolic extracts were screened for their inhibitory effect against HSV-1 & HAV in vitro on Vero cells using a plaque reductionassay. The antioxidant activity was also determined using Thiobarbutiric acid reactive substance. Plant extracts were assayed for their cytotoxicity prior to testing in antiviral studies to determine the maximum noncytotoxic dose. Results: HSV-1 was more sensitive towards plant extracts than HAV. All tested extracts had no anti-adsorption or anti-replication effects with the exception of ethanolic extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Lemongrass, mint and Tea tree oil showed high antiviral activity against HSV-1. Thyme and Eucalyptus showed moderate antiviral activity while Geranium and Plantago showed low antiviral activity. The plant extracts had antioxidant activity in descending order. Conclusions: Essential oils or ethanolic extracts with antiviral activity may be potentially useful cheaper alternative antiviral agents and pose little threat to induce resistance. They can also be used as food preservatives to control hepatitis outbreaks.

Keywords: HSV-1 & H AV, Plaque Assay, Medicinal plants Antiviral & Antioxidant activity.