Antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects of Avrocil (THG Ltd.): An in-vitro study of a novel herbal compound

Abstract

IntroductionHuman rhinoviruses (HRV-16) cause the common cold. Although amantadine (Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) and other drugs treat upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), alternative medicines have shown promising results. In this study, we investigate the antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects of the herbal product Avrocil (THG Ltd.), using an HRV-16-infected airway epithelial model. MethodsHRV-16 susceptible HeLa and human bronchial epithelial cells were cultured and differentiated for cytotoxicity test of Avrocil (THG Ltd.) using a colorimetric assay. The viral copy number was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for testing antiviral effects. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels as markers of inflammation. ResultsOverall, Avrocil (THG Ltd.) exhibited significant anti-HRV-16 effect, causing a change in the morphology of HRV-16 infected cells. The recovery rate of bronchial epithelial cells that had sustained such cytopathic effects was 22–58%; both raw and tea forms of the herbal product completely suppressed viral replication in bronchial epithelial cells. Avrocil (THG Ltd.) extracts also suppressed the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α after viral infection. ConclusionsThis study provides the first empirical in vitro evidence of the robust antiviral and antiinflammatory effects of Avrocil (THG Ltd.), a new plant-based product that contains Lithospermum erythrorhizon, Siraitia grosvenorii, and other herbs, combined in a proprietary formula. Further in vitro and in vivo studies should be carried out to investigate how Avrocil (THG Ltd.) might affect replication of other viruses that similarly target the nasal and bronchial epithelium.