Abstract
BackgroundDengue fever regardless of its serotypes has been the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral diseases among the world population. The development of a dengue vaccine is complicated by the antibody-dependent enhancement effect. Thus, the development of a plant-based antiviral preparation promises a more potential alternative in combating dengue disease.MethodsPresent studies investigated the antiviral effects of standardised methanolic extracts of Andrographis paniculata, Citrus limon, Cymbopogon citratus, Momordica charantia, Ocimum sanctum and Pelargonium citrosum on dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1).ResultsO. sanctum contained 88.6% of total flavonoids content, an amount that was the highest among all the six plants tested while the least was detected in M. charantia. In this study, the maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) of the six medicinal plants was determined by testing the methanolic extracts against Vero E6 cells in vitro. Studies also determined that the MNTD of methanolic extract was in the decreasing order of M. charantia >C. limon >P. citrosum, O. sanctum >A. paniculata >C. citratus. Antiviral assay based on cytopathic effects (CPE) denoted by degree of inhibition upon treating DENV1-infected Vero E6 cells with MNTD of six medicinal plants showed that A. paniculata has the most antiviral inhibitory effects followed by M. charantia. These results were further verified with an in vitro inhibition assay using MTT, in which 113.0% and 98.0% of cell viability were recorded as opposed to 44.6% in DENV-1 infected cells. Although methanolic extracts of O. sanctum and C. citratus showed slight inhibition effect based on CPE, a significant inhibition was not reflected in MTT assay. Methanolic extracts of C. limon and P. citrosum did not prevent cytopathic effects or cell death from DENV-1.ConclusionsThe methanol extracts of A. paniculata and M. charantia possess the ability of inhibiting the activity of DENV-1 in in vitro assays. Both of these plants are worth to be further investigated and might be advantageous as an alternative for dengue treatment.
Highlights
Dengue fever regardless of its serotypes has been the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral diseases among the world population
Plant materials and extraction Andrographis paniculata, Ocimum sanctum, Pelargonium citrosum and Cymbopogon citratus plants were collected from Sungai Buluh, Selangor, Malaysia while Citrus limon and Momordica charantia were collected from Sibu, Sarawak and Sri Serdang, Selangor, respectively
In this study, the methanolic extracts were standardised based on total flavonoids content prior to antiviral assay
Summary
Dengue fever regardless of its serotypes has been the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral diseases among the world population. The development of a dengue vaccine is complicated by the antibody-dependent enhancement effect. Dengue has re-emerged and with it being endemic in more than 110 countries, it has been the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral diseases in terms of morbidity and mortality [2]. A primary infection with any of the four serotypes results in a lifelong immunity to that serotype, and temporary immunity to the others This temporary immunity usually wanes after 6 months, at which point an individual is susceptible to the other three DENV serotypes [5]. The primary infection is most often asymptomatic, but sequential infections in the presence of heterologous dengue antibodies often leads to a more severe secondary infection causing DHF or DSS. Studies on the outbreaks in endemic areas, such as South East Asia revealed that a primary infection with DENV-1 or DENV-3 frequently resulted in a more severe disease than if DENV-2 or DEV-4 were the primary infection [6]
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