Abstract
Ginseng products used as herb nutritional supplements are orally consumed and fermented to ginsenoside compounds by the intestinal microbes. In this study, we investigated antiviral protective effects of fermented ginseng extracts against different strains of influenza viruses in genetically diverse mouse models. Intranasal coinoculation of mice with fermented ginseng extract and influenza virus improved survival rates and conferred protection against H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, and H7N9 strains, with the efficacy dependent on the dose of ginseng samples. Antiviral protection by fermented ginseng extract was observed in different genetic backgrounds of mice and in the deficient conditions of key adaptive immune components (CD4, CD8, B cell, MHCII). The mice that survived primary virus inoculation with fermented ginseng extract developed immunity against the secondary infection with homologous and heterosubtypic viruses. In vitro cell culture experiments showed moderate virus neutralizing activity by fermented ginseng extract, probably by inhibiting hemagglutination and neuraminidase activity. This study suggests that fermented ginseng extracts might provide a means to treat influenza disease regardless of virus strains.
Highlights
IntroductionAmong the three major types (type A, B, and C) of influenza virus, type A is more prevalent due to diverse hosts
Influenza virus is a contagious pathogen that has been causing massive mortality for decades.Among the three major types of influenza virus, type A is more prevalent due to diverse hosts
Results in this study demonstrated that fermented red ginseng extracts had an antiviral protective activity against influenza viruses from different subtypes (H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, H7N9) in in vivo mouse models
Summary
Among the three major types (type A, B, and C) of influenza virus, type A is more prevalent due to diverse hosts. With a combination of HA (subtype 1 to 18) and NA (subtype 1 to 11), various subtypes of influenza virus can infect different species, including humans, mammals, and birds [3,4,5]. Among these subtypes of influenza virus, H1N1 and H3N2 are the main strains circulating in humans every season, whereas sporadic transmission and infection with novel H5N1, H7N9, and
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