In Vitro Antiviral Activity of a Series of Wild Berry Fruit Extracts against Representatives of Picorna-, Orthomyxo- and Paramyxoviridae

Abstract

Wild berry species are known to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. They have long been traditionally applied for their antiseptic, antimicrobial, cardioprotective and antioxidant properties. The aim of the present study is to reveal the potential for selective antiviral activity of total methanol extracts, as well as that of the anthocyanins and the non-anthocyanins from the following wild berries picked in Bulgaria: strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) and raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) of the Rosaceae plant family, and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillis L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L) of the Ericaceae. The antiviral effect has been tested against viruses that are important human pathogens and for which chemotherapy and/or chemoprophylaxis is indicated, namely poliovirus type 1 (PV-1) and coxsackievirus B1 (CV-B1) from the Picornaviridae virus family, human respiratory syncytial virus A2 (HRSV-A2) from the Paramyxoviridae and influenza virus A/H3N2 of Orthomyxoviridae. Wild berry fruits are freeze-dried and ground, then total methanol extracts are prepared. Further the extracts are fractioned by solid phase extraction and the non-anthocyanin and anthocyanin fractions are eluted. The in vitro antiviral effect is examined by the virus cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibition test. The results reveal that the total extracts of all tested berry fruits inhibit the replication of CV-B1 and influenza A virus. CV-B1 is inhibited to the highest degree by both bilberry and strawberry, as well as by lingonberry total extracts, and influenza A by bilberry and strawberry extracts. Anthocyanin fractions of all wild berries strongly inhibit the replication of influenza virus A/H3N2. Given the obtained results it is concluded that wild berry species are a valuable resource of antiviral substances and the present study should serve as a basis for further detailed research on the matter.

Bioactivities and Health Benefits of Wild Fruits

“…Virus titers in culture fluids of the cells were completely suppressed after treatment with 100 μg/mL of Kurokarin extract for 1 h after infection of 8 to 9 h, indicating that the extract inhibited the virus release from the infected cells [ 118 ]. Furthermore, extracts of a series of wild berry fruit from Bulgaria possessed great antiviral activities [ 119 ]. Four wild berries, strawberry, raspberry, bilberry, and lingonberry, were tested for their antiviral properties against some important human pathogens, poliovirus type 1 (PV-1), coxsackievirus B1 (CV-B1), human respiratory syncytial virus A2 (HRSV-A2), and influenza virus (A/H3N2), by virus cytopathic effect inhibition test.…”

Compounds with Antiviral, Anti-Inflammatory and Anticancer Activity Identified in Wine from Hungary’s Tokaj Region via High Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Bioinformatics Analyses

“…Viral infections can be responsible for significant global mortality and can be associated with several complex diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes or cancer [ 37 ]. Herbal and fruit extract are well known sources of antiviral agents [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ] providing new tools for the development of antiviral therapies. Phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic acid, ethyl caffeate, dimethylcaffeic acid, ethyl gallate, quercetin and taxifolin exert a wide range of antiviral activities against different viruses such as HIV-1 [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], hepatitis A, B and C virus [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ], influenza virus [ 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ], adenovirus [ 62 , 63 ], herpes simplex virus [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ], enterovirus 71 [ 66 , 67 ], SARS-CoV [ 68 ], rhinovirus [ 69 ], Epstein–Barr virus [ 70 ] and coxsackievirus B4 [ 71 ] via different molecular mechanisms.…”

The Signaling Pathways, and Therapeutic Targets of Antiviral Agents: Focusing on the Antiviral Approaches and Clinical Perspectives of Anthocyanins in the Management of Viral Diseases

“…Lingonberry, strawberry, and bilberry extracts also inhibited the InfV A virus. All of the anthocyanins fractions of wild berries had a potent effect and inhibited the replication of InfV A; however, they did not show any significant activity against the other tested viruses (Nikolaeva-Glomb et al, 2014). A straight relationship was perceived between the antiviral activity of berry extracts and total polyphenol content (Sekizawa et al, 2013).…”