Antiviral Effect of Ginsenoside Rb2 and Rb3 Against Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus and Classical Swine Fever Virus in vitro

Bin Tan,Massimo Giangaspero,Yingping Wang,Kexin Liu,Na Sun,Shipeng Cheng,Shuqin Zhang,Yinping Jin,Qianying Wang

doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.764909

Abstract

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and classical swine fever virus (CSFV) are members of the genus Pestivirus that cause disease in wild and domestic animals and are responsible for extensive economic losses of livestock and biological industry. BVDV is also a significant laboratory contaminant. Currently, no effective antiviral therapeutics are available to control their infection. Ginsenosides, as major pharmacological ingredients in the plants of ginseng, have various biological activities. In the present work, the antiviral activity of 9 ginsenosides and 3 other saponins from Araliaceae plants was investigated against Pestivirus. Ginsenoside Rb2 and Rb3 showed low cytotoxicity and obvious antiviral effect. They were able to inhibit the replication and proliferation of BVDV and CSFV. In addition, our results suggest that the possible antiviral mechanism of Rb2 might be related to its ability to affect the translation of these viruses. Obtained results suggest that ginsenoside Rb2 and Rb3 have a potential for effective treatment against Pestivirus infection.

Highlights

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and classical swine fever virus (CSFV) are members of the genus Pestivirus, family Flaviviridae
It has been reported that bovine serum, Ginsenoside Rb2 Inhibits Pestivirus Replication in-vitro canine, bovine and feline cell lines, and vaccine commercially available have been found to be contaminated with BVDV [7,8,9]
Stock solutions (40 mg/mL) of the compounds were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or Abbreviations: BVDV, bovine viral diarrhea virus; CSFV, classical swine fever virus; Hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis C virus; ORF, open reading frame; UTR, untranslated regions; IRES, internal ribosome entry site; FBS, fetal bovine serum; PRh2, pseudo ginsenoside Rh2; PF11, pseudo ginsenoside F11; NR1, notoginsenoside R1; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; CPE, cytopathic effect; EC50, 50% effective concentration

Summary

Introduction

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and classical swine fever virus (CSFV) are members of the genus Pestivirus, family Flaviviridae. They are viral pathogens affecting wild fauna and domestic livestock, causing extensive economic losses worldwide [1]. Their genomes are single stranded positive polarity RNA, which consist of a single large open reading frame (ORF) flanked by 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTR). CSFV infection mainly causes high fever, multiple hemorrhages, and leukopenia, leading to high morbidity and mortality, the severity of which might be due to the host species and the virulence of viral strains [4]. It has been reported that bovine serum, Ginsenoside Rb2 Inhibits Pestivirus Replication in-vitro canine, bovine and feline cell lines, and vaccine commercially available have been found to be contaminated with BVDV [7,8,9]

Methods

Results

Conclusion