Inhibitory effect on acute herpes and prevention of postherpetic neuralgia in herpes simplex virus-1-infected mice using Ricinus communis extract

Abstract

Ricinus communis and valacyclovir (VACV) were tested for their effects on the progression of skin observation and pain responses in mice infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). The mice were infected with HSV-1 and treated with R. communis (8, 16, or 48 mg/kg) or VACV (15, 45, or 90 mg/kg) twice daily from days 2 to 8 post-infection. Skin lesion development and pain-associated reactions were assessed 27 days after infection. HSV-1 infection resulted in zosteriform skin observation and increased pain-related scores. Both R. communis and VACV demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in skin observation and pain-related ratings. The study also investigated the impact of the timing of R. communis and VACV administration on skin observation and pain responses and found that lesion scores were significantly reduced when R. communis treatment was initiated on day 2 post-infection. The inhibitory effects of R. communis and VACV on HSV-1 dissemination in the dorsal root ganglia were studied, showing a significant reduction in HSV-1 DNA replication number after the administration of both drugs. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the impact of R. communis and VACV on the expression levels of pain-associated mRNA in the spinal cord of HSV-1-infected mice. The study demonstrated that R. communis therapy exhibited an inhibitory effect on pain-related factors.