Antiviral Activity and Wound Healing Potential of a Traditionally Used Herbal Oil Blend

Abstract

Objective: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has an increasing usage in the last decades throughout the world. Herbal medicine, the most preferred CAM, is used in the treatment of various disorders by approximately eighty percent of the world's population. In this study, it was aimed to determine the antiviral activity and wound healing potential of a special herbal oil blend prepared from Olea europaea, Nigella sativa and Rosmarinus officinalis that has been used for centuries in Middle and East Anatolia. Materials and Methods: The nontoxic concentration of herbal blend was determined by MTS assay. This concentration was investigated for its wound healing potential using in vitro scratch assay. A scratch was made on cultured keratinocyte cell layer and the herbal blend was added to medium. Pictures of cells were taken at different time points. The antiviral activity was determined using Adenovirus type 5 and Poliovirus type 1. Virus titer was calculated by Spearman-Karber method. Results: The nontoxic concentration of the blend was found to show statistically higher wound healing rate in compare to control group at the end of 12, 24 and 36 hours. According to antiviral efficacy test, four log of reduction in virus titer was seen, which meant that the mixture was quite effective against the viruses used in the study. Conclusion: The study shows that the special herbal blend speed up wound healing rate and it also has antiviral activity.