Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV): A Preliminary Study on Antiviral Properties of Some Aromatic and Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Plant products provide an alternative and successful source of lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry. The present study was aimed to evaluate, in cell-based assays, the antiviral properties of essential oils obtained from plants that commonly grow in Sardinia, Italy, against a broad spectrum of RNA/DNA viruses. The essential oils of Helichrisumitalicum (Roth) G. Don ssp. microphyllum (Willd.) Nyman, Laurus nobilis L., MirtuscommunisL., Pistacia lentiscus L., Salvia officinalis L., Saturejathymbra L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Interestingly, the essential oil of Salvia officinalis showed moderate activity against bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), an enveloped RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family. BVDV is responsible for several clinical manifestations in bovines, including respiratory, gastroenteric, and reproductive diseases, with a significant economic impact. With the aim to individuate the constituent of the Salvia officinalis responsible for the biological activity, we tested the major components of the oil: camphene, β-pinene, limonene, 1,8-cineole, cis-thujone, camphor, (E)-caryophyllene, and α-humulene. Here, we describe α-humulene as an active component that is non-cytotoxic and active against BVDV (EC50 = 36 µM). Its antiviral effects were evaluated using virucidal cytopathic effect inhibition and viral yield reduction assays. This is the first scientific report showing the anti BVDV effects of Salvia officinalis essential oil and α-humulene as the main active component.

Modelling the DFT structural and reactivity study of feverfew and evaluation of its potential antiviral activity against COVID-19 using molecular docking and MD simulations

“…For the present study, we have taken seven different phytochemicals Borneol, Camphene, Camphor, Alpha-thujene, Eugenol, Carvacrol and Parthenolide having antiviral properties (Table 1 ) (Anastasiya 2015 ; Stevanović 2009 ; Pareek 2011 ). These phytochemicals have antiviral applications in treating influenza (Sokolova 2017 ; Sokolova 2017), diarrhea (Madeddu 2021 ), herpesvirus (Benensia 2000 ), human papillomavirus (Jeyamohan 2016 ), human norovirus (Gilling 2014 ), etc. 3D structures of all considered phytoconstituents are downloaded with the help of the online database “PubChem” (SD 1) in SDF format and converted into PDB format by “Open babel GUI” ( http://openbabel.org/wiki/Main_Page ).…”

Antiviral Activity of Vitis vinifera Leaf Extract against SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1

“…Few studies have analyzed the antiviral activity owned by grapevine extract, mainly related to its potential of inducing disruption of the cell membrane and inhibiting the first phases of the viral life cycle, such as attachment and fusion to the host cell [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Matias et al [ 37 ] compared the anti-adenoviral activity of Portuguese white-winemaking by-products and resveratrol, used as a standard phenolic compound, and very interestingly, the wine extract was able to inhibit adenovirus-5 replication after 24 h post-infection differently from resveratrol.…”