Bulgarian Medicinal Extracts as Natural Inhibitors with Antiviral and Antibacterial Activity.

BACKGROUND: Bulgaria is a country with a wide range of medicinal plants, with uses in traditional medicine dating back for centuries. METHODS: Disc diffusion assay was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts. A cytopathic effect inhibition test was used for the assessment of the antiviral activity of the extracts. The virucidal activity of the extracts, their influence on the stage of viral adsorption, and their protective effect on uninfected cells were reported using the end-point dilution method, and Δlgs was determined as compared to the untreated controls. RESULTS: The results of the study reveal that the antibacterial potential of G. glabra and H. perforatum extracts in Gram-positive bacteria is more effective than in Gram-negative bacteria. When applied during the replication of HSV-1 and HCov-OC-43, only some of the extracts showed weak activity, with SI between 2 to 8.5. Almost all tested extracts inhibited the extracellular virions of the studied enveloped viruses (HSV-1 and HCov-OC-43) to a greater extent than of the non-enveloped viruses (PV-1 and HAdV-5). They inhibited the stage of viral adsorption (HSV-1) in the host cell (MDBK) to varying degrees and showed a protective effect on healthy cells (MDBK) before they were subjected to viral invasion (HSV-1). CONCLUSION: The antipathogenic potential of extracts of H. perforatum and G. glabra suggests their effectiveness as antimicrobial agents. All 13 extracts of the Bulgarian medicinal plants studied can be used to reduce viral yield in a wide range of viral infections.

In Vitro Antineoplastic and Antiviral Activity and In Vivo Toxicity of Geum urbanum L. Extracts.

This study evaluated the in vitro antineoplastic and antiviral potential and in vivo toxicity of twelve extracts with different polarity obtained from the herbaceous perennial plant Geum urbanum L. (Rosaceae). In vitro cytotoxicity was determined by ISO 10993-5/2009 on bladder cancer, (T-24 and BC-3C), liver carcinoma (HEP-G2) and normal embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell lines. The antineoplastic activity was elucidated through assays of cell clonogenicity, apoptosis induction, nuclear factor kappa B p65 (NFκB p65) activation and total glutathione levels. Neutral red uptake study was applied for antiviral activity. The most promising G. urbanum extract was analyzed by UHPLC-HRMS. The acute in vivo toxicity analysis was carried out following OEDC 423. The ethyl acetate extract of aerial parts (EtOAc-AP) exhibited the strongest antineoplastic activity on bladder cancer cell lines (IC50 = 21.33-25.28 µg/mL) by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting NFκB p65 and cell clonogenicity. EtOAc and n-butanol extracts showed moderate antiviral activity against human adenovirus type 5 and human simplex virus type I. Seventy four secondary metabolites (gallic and ellagic acid derivatives, phenolic acids, flavonoids, etc.) were identified in EtOAc-AP by UHPLC-HRMS. This extract induced no signs of acute toxicity in liver and kidney specimens of H-albino mice in doses up to 210 mg/kg. In conclusion, our study contributes substantially to the detailed pharmacological characterization of G. urbanum, thus helping the development of health-promoting phytopreparations.

Antiviral, Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Effects of Tanacetum Vulgare L. Crude Extract In Vitro.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the high prevalence of viral infections having no specific treatment and the constant emergence of resistant viral strains, searching for effective antiviral compounds is crucial. The present study explores in vitro the antiviral activity of ethanolic extract from aerial parts of. AIM: The aim of the current study was to evaluate antiviral activity of ethanolic extract from herbaceous plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The crude aqueous ethanolic extract from aerial parts of. RESULTS: The results show that the extract has the lowest toxicity on the MDBK cell line and similar cytotoxicity in Hep-2, whereas in the MDCK cells it has more than twice the highest toxicity. Testing the antiviral activity of. CONCLUSION: The crude extract from aerial parts of the medicinal plant.

In vitro antiviral activity of a series of wild berry fruit extracts against representatives of Picorna-, Orthomyxo- and Paramyxoviridae.

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.

Effect of yeast superoxide dismutase treatment on some mediators of inflammation during adjuvant-induced arthritis in mice.

* Author for correspondence and reprint requests Z. Naturforsch. 65c, 141-147 (2010); received June 17/July 21, 2009 The superoxide radical (O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) are pleiotropic inflammatory mediators which play an important role in inflammatory joint diseases. They are overproduced during rheumatoid arthritis and its experimental model - adjuvant-induced arthritis in rodents--and may be detected both systemically and intra-articularly. Their secretion is up-regulated by proinflammatory cytokines such as IFN-gamma, IL-12, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, and they are responsible for the destruction of joint tissue. In this work, the effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD) from a thermotolerant yeast strain, Kluyveromyces marxianus, on the production of proinflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species was studied. Mice received three intraperitoneal injections of yeast SOD at a dose of 10 mg/ kg body weight (30,000 U/kg) on consecutive days starting on the day after arthritic induction. On days 3, 8 and 14 post induction peritoneal macrophages were isolated and both spontaneous and stimulated production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen metabolites were measured. Early in arthritic development yeast SOD treatment did not influence the O2- production, but on day 14 both spontaneous and PMA-induced secretion were dramatically reduced. Spontaneous H2O2 release was inhibited on day 14, while PMA-stimulated production was decreased from the beginning of the arthritic development. Yeast SOD treatment effectively suppressed the spontaneous and recombinant mouse IFN-gamma + LPS induced release of NO as well. Serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, IL-12, IFN-gamma, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, were also significantly reduced. The obtained results show some of the mechanisms of action of SOD in reducing the severity of arthritic inflammation. Besides direct inhibition of joint tissue destruction exogenous SOD substantially limits the existing positive feedback between secretion of reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokine production.