Antiviral effect of compounds derived from Angelica archangelica L. on Herpes simplex virus-1 and Coxsackievirus B3 infections.

The dichloromethane extract from fruits of Angelica archangelica L. was separated by the modern high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC). The extract and five pure compounds: xanthotoxin, bergapten, imperatorin, phellopterin and isoimperatorin, and the mixture of imperatorin and phellopterin, have been studied as the potential antiviral agents against Herpes simplex virus type l and Coxsackievirus B3. The cytotoxicity was measured using the MTT method. Compounds were tested for the in vitro antiviral activity using the cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibitory assay and by the virus titre reduction assay. Real-time PCR was used to quantify the relative inhibition of the HSV-1 replication. The results indicate that the highest activity was demonstrated by the extract, imperatorin, phellopterin and the mixture of imperatorin and phellopterin, reducing the HSV-1 replication by 5.61 log, 4.7 log, 3.01 log and 3.73 log, respectively. The influence of isolated compounds on the CVB3 replication was not significant. Only the extract caused the decrease in the titre of virus in relation to the virus control. Our results show that coumarins of A. archangelica L. might be a potential candidate for the development of the alternative natural anti- HSV-1 compound. Moreover, the presence of isopentenyloxy moiety at C-8 position significantly improves their activity.

According to the CPLL proteome sheriffs, not all aperitifs are created equal!

Combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLLs) have been adopted for investigating the proteome of a popular aperitif in Northern Italy, called "Amaro Branzi", stated to be an infusion of a secret herbal mixture, of which some ingredients are declared on the label, namely Angelica officinalis, Gentiana lutea and orange peel, sweetened by a final addition of honey. In order to assess the genuineness of this commercial liqueur, we have prepared extracts of the three vegetable ingredients, assessed their proteomes, and compared them to the one found in the aperitif. The amaro's proteome was identified via prior capture with CPLLs at two different pH values (2.2 and 4.8). Via mass spectrometry analysis of the recovered fractions, after elution of the captured populations in 4% boiling SDS, we could confirm the presence of the following: six proteins originating from honey, 11 from orange peels, 29 from G. lutea and 46 from A. officinalis (including shared species), plus 33 species which could not be attributed to the other secret ingredients, due to paucity of genomic data on plant proteins, for a total of 93 unique gene products (merging shared proteins). This fully confirmed the genuineness of the product. Considering that most of these species could be present in trace amounts, undetectable by conventional techniques, the CPLL methodology, due to its ability to enhance the signal of trace components up to 3 to 4 orders of magnitude, could represent a powerful tool for investigating the genuineness and natural origin of commercial beverages in order to protect consumers from adulterated products.