Abstract
Infectious diseases remain a major global health concern. Cistus ladanifer, a plant commonly employed in Moroccan traditional medicine, has been identified as a potential antiviral candidate. This study aimed to evaluate the antiviral activity of C. ladanifer extracts in vitro and in silico against two respiratory viruses: Herpes simplex virus and the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants of concern Delta and Omicron. Toxic prediction of the main compounds identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry from Cistus ladanifer was performed in silico via ProTox-II software. Molecular docking was subsequently performed via Maestro version 11.5 software from Schrödinger to gain a comprehensive understanding of their biological activity. The extracts were subjected to in vitro antiviral screening against the selected strains via real-time RT‒qPCR. Our docking estimation supported the in vitro results, and a diverse array of compounds extracted from Cistus ladanifer demonstrated significant antiviral activity with a low toxicity profile. Accordingly, in vitro data revealed a dose-dependent effect of the studied extracts, with particular efficacy against the Omicron variant. With the antiviral evaluation and docking outcomes in hand, we suggest a plausible mechanism of action for these compounds through further investigation into the effectiveness of Cistus ladanifer against other respiratory viruses.
Published Version
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