Comparison of Antiviral Effects of Methanol and Hexane Extracts of Chelidonium Majus L. Against Acyclovir Resistant Herpes Simplex Type 1

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) may lead to oral herpes, encephalitis and keratoconjunctivitis. Today, following the increasing of HSV-1 prevalence and drug resistance, there has been an interest in the use of natural substance. In this study, we assessed the effect of hexane and methanol extracts of Chelidonium majus L. against acyclovir-resistant HSV-1.

The toxicity threshold of Chelidonium majus L. hexane and methanol extracts on HeLa cell was determined with trypan blue and MTT methods. Their direct antiviral effects were evaluated against HSV-1. Different concentrations of extracts in different times of virus replication have been evaluated. In each stage, the viral titers were tested by TCID50 assay.
Findings: The methanol extract at the concentration of 200 µg/ml and hexane extract at the concentration of 600 µg/ml were determined as effective minimal cytotoxic concentration on HeLa cell line. These concentrations did not have significant virucidal effects on Herpes simplex virus. The maximum antiviral effects of methanol extract at the concentration of 200 µg/ml was exhibited 1 and 2 hours after virus adsorption and reduced virus titer 4 logTCID50 compared to the control. Hexane extract did not have antiviral effect.

methanol extract of chelidonium majus L. compared to hexane extract showed significant antiviral effect on acyclovir-resistant HSV-1. Further research is required to identify specific bioactive compounds of this plant in order to be used in anti-herpes drugs.