Development and evaluation of topical formulations that contain hydroethanolic extract from Schinus terebinthifolia against HSV-1 infection

João Carlos Palazzo de Mello,Benedito Prado Dias Filho,Mauro Luciano Baesso,Maria da Conceição Torrado Truiti,Lilian dos Anjos Oliveira Ferreira,Maria Raquel Marçal Natali,Samara Requena Nocchi,Lidiane Vizioli de Castro-Hoshino,Tânia Ueda-Nakamura,Celso Vataru Nakamura

doi:10.1590/s2175-97902020000318637

João Carlos Palazzo de Mello, Benedito Prado Dias Filho + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902020000318637

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Abstract

The therapeutic drugs to treat Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections have toxic side effects and there has been an emergence of drug-resistant strains. Therefore, the search for new treatments for HSV infections is mounting. In the present study, semi-solid formulations containing a crude hydroethanolic extract (CHE) from Schinus terebinthifolia were developed. Skin irritation, cutaneous permeation, and in vivo therapeutic efficacy of the formulations were investigated. Treatment with the ointment formulations did not result in any signs of skin irritation while the emulsions increased the thickness of the epidermis in Swiss mice. The cutaneous permeation test indicated that the CHE incorporated in the formulations permeated through the skin layers and was present in the epidermis and dermis even 3 h after topical application. In vivo antiviral activity in BALB/c mice treated with the CHE ointments was better than those treated with the CHE emulsions and did not significantly differ from an acyclovir-treated group. Taken together, this suggests that the incorporation of CHE in the ointment may be a potential candidate for the alternative topical treatment of herpetic lesions.

Highlights

Infections caused by Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) are common in the population and typically appear as oral lesions known as “cold sores”
The present study evaluated the anti-HSV-1 activity of the crude hydroethanolic extract (CHE) when incorporated into semi-solid formulations for topical use
The chemical composition of the CHE from S. terebinthifolia based on LC-DAD-MS and MS/MS, as well as its anti-HSV-1 activity in vitro and in vivo, was recently reported (Nocchi et al, 2017)

Summary

Introduction

Infections caused by Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) are common in the population and typically appear as oral lesions known as “cold sores”. In addition to developing formulations that contain the extract, skin irritation, cutaneous permeation, and in vivo therapeutic efficacy were evaluated. In the present study this extract was incorporated into semi-solid formulations and skin irritation, cutaneous permeation, and therapeutic anti-HSV-1 efficacy in vivo were evaluated.

Results

Conclusion