Abstract
Objective: To screen for influenza virus neuraminidase inhibition and to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of influenza using traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). In this study, 421 crude extracts (solubilized with petroleum ether, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous solvents) were obtained from 113 TCM. The medicine extracts were then reacted with oseltamivir, using 2’-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-α-D-N-acetylneuraminic acid (MUNANA) as the substrate, to determine influenza virus neuraminidase activity using a standard fluorimetric assay. It was found that Chinese medicine extracts from Pyrola calliantha, Cynanchum wilfordii, Balanophora involucrata and Paeonia delavayi significantly inhibited neuraminidase activity at a concentration of 40 μg/mL. Dose-dependent inhibitory assays also revealed significant inhibition. The IC50 range of the TCM extracts for influenza virus neuraminidase was approximately 12.66–34.85 μg/mL, respectively. Some Chinese medicines have clear anti-influenza viral effects that may play an important role in the treatment of influenza through the inhibition of viral neuraminidase. The results of this study demonstrated that plant medicines can serve as a useful source of neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors and further investigation into the pharmacologic activities of these extracts is warranted.
Highlights
Influenza is an infectious disease that seriously affects human life and health [1,2].According to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, influenza annually causes an estimated250,000–500,000 deaths and approximately three to five million cases of severe illness worldwide.Influenza poses a range of serious threats to public health by inducing substantial economic losses and social problems throughout the world [3,4].Influenza A viruses, including the H5N1, H3N2 and H1N1 subtypes, pose a potential pandemic threat to public health [1]
The results of this study demonstrated that plant medicines can serve as a useful source of neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors and further investigation into the pharmacologic activities of these extracts is warranted
According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, as of January 2014, there have been a total of 650 confirmed human cases of H5N1 virus, with 386 deaths (59% mortality rate) in 15 countries since 2003 [5]
Summary
Influenza (flu) is an infectious disease that seriously affects human life and health [1,2]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, influenza annually causes an estimated. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, as of January 2014, there have been a total of 650 confirmed human cases of H5N1 virus, with 386 deaths (59% mortality rate) in 15 countries since 2003 [5]. NA is an influenza virus surface glycoprotein that is recognized as an attractive target for the development of antiviral drugs [8,9]. The efficacy of these drugs has declined due to viral mutations conferring resistance to some NAIs [11] Because of this challenge, many researchers are focused on the development of new anti-influenza treatments or combination therapies to enhance the efficacy of anti-influenza drugs [12,13]. The results of this study will provide important information for the isolation of active constituents and for the clinical use of TCM for treating and preventing influenza
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