Antiviral Tests Research Articles

Clinical trials with antiviral drugs against COVID-19: some progress and many shattered hopes.

SummaryVaccines and drugs are the cornerstones in the fight against the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. While vaccines were a success story, the development of antiviral drugs against SARS‐CoV‐2 turned out to be difficult. For an accelerated use of antivirals in the clinic, most SARS‐CoV‐2 antivirals represented repurposed drugs. The present article summarizes the outcomes of clinical trials with antiviral drugs in COVID‐19 patients. Many antiviral drugs failed to demonstrate beneficial effects or showed mixed results. One reason for the low success rate of clinical trials was shortcomings of antiviral tests in cell culture systems and another reason was the abundance of ill‐coordinated and underpowered clinical trials. However, large pragmatic clinical trials particularly of the British RECOVERY trial series demonstrated that even under emergency situation drug trials can be conducted in a timely way such that the therapy of COVID‐19 patients can be based on evidence basis instead on expert opinion or even worse on political pressure.

Biodegradable Nanofibrous Membranes for Medical and Personal Protection Applications: Manufacturing, Anti-COVID-19 and Anti-Multidrug Resistant Bacteria Evaluation

Biodegradable nanofibrous hybrid membranes of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with ZnO and CuO nanoparticles were manufactured and characterized, and their anti-COVID-19 and anti-multidrug resistant bacteria activities were also evaluated. The morphological structures of the prepared PVA composites nanofibers were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), which revealed a homogenous pattern of the developed nanofibers, with an average fibrous diameter of 200–250 nm. Moreover, the results of the SEM showed that the fiber size changed with the type and the concentration of the metal oxide. Moreover, the antiviral and antibacterial potential capabilities of the developed nanofibrous membranes were tested in blocking the viral fusion of SARS-COV-2, as a representative activity for COVID-19 deactivation, as well as for their activity against a variety of bacterial strains, including multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDR). The results revealed that ZnO loaded nanofibers were more potent antiviral agents than their CuO analogues. This antiviral action was attributed to the fact that inorganic metallic compounds have the ability to extract hydrogen bonds with viral proteins, causing viral rupture or morphological changes. On the other hand, the anti-multi-drug resistant activity of the prepared nanofibers was also evaluated using two techniques; the standard test method for determining the antimicrobial activity of immobilized antimicrobial agents under dynamic contact conditions and the standard test method for determining the activity of incorporated antimicrobial agents in polymeric or hydrophobic materials. Both techniques proved the superiority of the ZnO loaded nanofibers over the CuO loaded fibers. The results of the antiviral and antibacterial tests showed the effectiveness of such nanofibrous formulas, not only for medical applications, but also for the production of personal protection equipment, such as gowns and textiles.

Screening active fractions from Pinus massoniana pollen for inhibiting ALV-J replication and their structure activity relationship investigation

The objective was to identify the active fractions of polysaccharide against replication of ALV-J and elucidate their structure activity relationship. The optimal extraction conditions were extracting temperature 90℃, pH 9 and the ratio of liquid to solid 30:1. Under these conditions, extraction yield of total polysaccharide was 6.5 % ± 0.19 %. Total polysaccharide was then purified by DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-200 gel. Three fractions, PPP-1, PPP-2, and PPP-3, were identified with molecular weight of 463.70, 99.41, and 26.97 kDa, respectively. Three polysaccharide fractions were all composed of 10 monosaccharides in different proportions. Compared with PPP-1, which was mainly composed of glucose, PPP-2 and PPP-3 contained a higher proportion of galactose, glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid. The Congo red assay indicated that the PPP-2 may have a triple helical structure, while PPP-1 and PPP-3 were absent. In vitro assay showed that there was no significant cytotoxicity among the polysaccharide fractions under the concentration of 800 μg mL−1 (P > 0.05). The antiviral test showed that PPP-2 had the strongest activity, indicating PPP-2 was the major antiviral component. The structure-activity relationship showed that the antiviral activities of polysaccharide fractions were affected by their monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, and triple helical structure, which was a result of a combination of multiple molecular structural factors. These results showed that the PPP-2 could be exploited as a valued product for replacing synthetic antiviral drugs, and provided support for future applications of polysaccharide from Pinus massoniana pollen as a useful source for antiviral agent.

Identification of SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors among already approved drugs.

To discover effective drugs for COVID-19 treatment amongst already clinically approved drugs, we developed a high throughput screening assay for SARS-CoV-2 virus entry inhibitors using SARS2-S pseudotyped virus. An approved drug library of 1800 small molecular drugs was screened for SARS2 entry inhibitors and 15 active drugs were identified as specific SARS2-S pseudovirus entry inhibitors. Antiviral tests using native SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vero E6 cells confirmed that 7 of these drugs (clemastine, amiodarone, trimeprazine, bosutinib, toremifene, flupenthixol, and azelastine) significantly inhibited SARS2 replication, reducing supernatant viral RNA load with a promising level of activity. Three of the drugs were classified as histamine receptor antagonists with clemastine showing the strongest anti-SARS2 activity (EC50 = 0.95 ± 0.83 µM). Our work suggests that these 7 drugs could enter into further in vivo studies and clinical investigations for COVID-19 treatment.

Hyaluronic acid chloramide—Synthesis, chemical structure, stability and analysis of antimicrobials

Electron-deficient chlorine covalently immobilised on an amido group of hyaluronic acid (HA) can be potentially exceptional for applications requiring biodegradable and biocompatible polymers with enhanced antibacterial or antiviral activity. This expectation is supported by the assumption that a small amount of HA chloramide (HACl) is formed in the extracellular matrix under inflammatory conditions by a reaction of endogenous HA with hypochlorous acid (HClO) generated by a myeloperoxidase/H2O2/Cl− system. HACl synthesis optimisation showed significant limitations of HClO as an oxidative agent where only lower degrees of substitution (DS) was achieved. Commercially available oxidative agents based on chlorinated isocyanuric acid were successfully tested, producing the HA chain with almost entirely chlorinated amidic groups. The structure of the final HACl was thoroughly studied using advanced 2-dimensional NMR methodologies and LC/MS. Stability of HACl at different temperatures was monitored over 12 months. Preliminary antimicrobial and antiviral tests demonstrated the potential of HACl for applications in biomedicine.

Evaluación de la infección por VIH en Chile: pronunciamiento del Comité VIH de la Academia Chilena de Medicina

The Chilean Academy of Medicine convened a commission to evaluate the status of HIV epidemic and the national response to it, regarding its achievements, gaps and challenges, aiming to recommend actions to optimize assessment quality and national response. This publication summarizes the agreed upon opinion of its members. The epidemic is overwhelmingly sexually transmitted, predominant in homo/bisexual men. Vertical transmission is very low. An increasing number of new diagnoses is occurring, with relative over representation of foreign people lately. There is a legal guarantee of confidentiality, nondiscrimination and treatment for those affected, both in the private and public sector. All public health services have active HIV care units. Modern antiviral drugs and monitoring tests are also available. Despite these clear achievements, insufficient, occasionally inadequate public policies and certain rigid regulations thwart optimal effectivity and efficiency of the programs, contributing to the slow and incomplete compliance with international commitments. Shortcomings worth highlighting are: suboptimal educational and preventive programs directed to youngsters, vulnerable and general population; persistent underdiagnosis of infected population; cumbersome requirements to request and inform diagnostic tests, thus discouraging testing; excessive centralization and long latency of diagnosis confirmation and monitoring tests; incomplete epidemiologic analysis and public reporting of findings; non flexibility and slow updating of therapeutic guidelines; insufficient adaptation of care and drug delivery modalities to patients' needs; excessive administrative requirements at care centers and restrictive legislation for outcome and interventional clinical research. Recommendations to deal with these issues were proposed.

English

The jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is considered one of the most versatile trees and is used from wood production to traditional medicine. In traditional medicine, leaves are used to treat asthma, wounds and abscesses, and prevent ringworm infection. Several biological activities have been documented for jackfruit extracts confirming its popular use; however, its in vitro cytotoxicity and anti-herpesvirus activity are rarely discussed. The objective of this study was to explore the in vitro anti-herpesviral potential of A. heterophyllus leaf extracts at non-cytotoxic levels. Leaves were obtained from specimens located in the Atlantic forest biome. Dried and fresh ethanolic, methanolic and hexanic leaf extracts were obtained from the partition of a crude ethanolic extract. The cytotoxicity was performed on erythrocyte and kidney cell lines. The antiviral test was against equine, suid, and bovine herpesviruses. The contents of phenolic compounds were established from methanolic leaf extracts. Fresh leaf extracts did not show toxicity to erythrocytes in any concentration tested; however, dry leaf extracts showed >10% of hemolysis at ≥200 µg/ml. The maximum non-cytotoxic concentrations for Vero and MDBK cells ranged from 7.8 to 125 µg/ml. The content of phenolic compounds was 22.02% higher in fresh leaf than in dry leaf methanolic extracts. Methanolic extracts showed antiviral activity against BoHV-1 (PI of 99.20%) and SuHV-1 (PI of 94.38%). A. heterophyllus fresh and dry leaf extracts are remarkable as anti-herpesviruses and candidates to proceed for in vivo tests. Key words: Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., Jackfruit tree, antiviral activity, kidney cell-line, erythrocyte, medicinal plant.

Determination of Air Filter Anti-Viral Efficiency against an Airborne Infectious Virus

Recently, various studies have reported the prevention and treatment of respiratory infection outbreaks caused by lethal viruses. Consequently, a variety of air filters coated with antimicrobial agents have been developed to capture and inactivate virus particles in continuous airflow conditions. However, since aerosolized infectious viral-testing is inadvisable due to safety concerns, their anti-viral capability has only been tested by inserting the filters into liquid media, where infectious virus particles disperse. In this study a novel method of determining anti-viral performance of an air filter against airborne infectious viruses is presented. Initially, anti-viral air filter tests were conducted. Firstly, by an air-media test, in which the air filter was placed against an aerosolized non-infectious virus. Secondly, by a liquid-media test, in which the filter was inserted into a liquid medium containing a non-infectious virus. Subsequently, a correlation was established by comparing the susceptibility constants obtained between the two medium tests and an association was found for the air medium test with infectious virus. After ensuring the relationship did not depend on the virus species, the correlation was used to derive the results of the air-medium test from the results of the liquid-medium test.

Efficacy of <i>Catharanthus roseus</i> Extract against Dengue Virus Type 2 Infection in Vitro

Catharanthus roseus, known as Madagascar periwinkle is an herbal and traditional plant used for treatment of various diseases.A study was carried out to test the cytotoxicity and antiviral effects of methanol extract from the leaves of C. roseus . The leaves of C. roseus were extracted using methanol to produce crude methanol extract. In vitro cytotoxicity test was performed to determine the concentration value of the extract causing 50% cell death (CC 50 ) using MTT assay. The antiviral activity has been confirmed by conducting foci forming unit reduction assay (FFURA) which involved post-treatment, pre-treatment and virucidal tests. Cytotoxicity test was performed on Vero cells indicates the CC 50 value for C. roseus extract towards Vero cells was 0.13 mg/mL. The 50% Effective Concentration, EC 50 of C. roseus extract was 0.025 mg/mL. Selectivity index of C. roseu s extract against DENV-2 was 5.2. Three treatments were used in the antiviral test; 1) post-treatment, 2) pre-treatment, and 3) virucidal. The results revealed that the post-treatment was more effective in inhibiting viral replication compared to pre-treatment and virucidal. The results of this research showed that C. roseu s extract has good potential for prospective nature-based antiviral drug.

Nepeta nuda ssp. nuda L. water extract: Inhibition of replication of some strains of human alpha herpes virus (genus simplex virus) in vitro, mode of action and NMR-based metabolomics

Nepeta nuda L. has been used in traditional folk medicine for its diuretic, anti-asthmatic, antioxidant, spasmolytic, sedative and analgesic properties (attributed to the nepetalactones). In the present study, water extract from Nepeta nuda ssp. nuda L. was tested in order to study its’ effect on the replication of Human Alpha herpes virus (HHV) type 1, strain F (ACV-sensitive) and type 2, strain DD (ACV-resistant) in vitro. Toxicity was measured at 48 h (CC50 = 7.35 mg/ml ±0.06) and 72 h (CC50 = 4.488 mg/ml ±0.308) after infection. The extract showed potent anti-herpesvirus activity in both antiviral tests performed (MTT-based colorimetric assay and yield reduction assay). By the time the extract was added, two experimental arrangements were applied. The antiviral activity increased when water extract was added simultaneously with the inoculation of the cell monolayer (EC50 of 0.66 mg/ml ±0.04 and 0.788 mg/ml ±0.009 for the F and the DD strains, respectively, measured via colorimetric assay). The IC50 value was 0.181 mg/ml ±0.073 and 0.0888 mg/ml ±0.014 for the F and the DD strains, respectively, measured via yield reduction assay. Unfortunately, selectivity for viral versus cellular molecular targets (SI) was low except for the SI values (40.60 and 82.77 for the F and the DD strains, respectively) obtained via the yield reduction assay when water extract was added simultaneously with the inoculation of the cell monolayer. In both types of antiviral assays water extract retained activity against the ACV-resistant DD strain. The virucidal assay showed that water extract did not reduce the infectivity of either of the strains used at a concentration equal to the maximum non-toxic concentration. Therefore, the above-mentioned rise in the antiviral activity detected in experimental settings when the extract was added immediately after inoculation is not due to direct inactivation of the extracellular virions. Rather, it is due to interference with the adsorption but not the penetration (according to the results of the conducted experiment). The time of addition test demonstrated that the water extract continued to exhibit antiviral activity even when added 10 h after infection. All these observations suggest that water extract exibits its anti-herpesvirus activity by influencing both early (adsorption) and late events of HHV replication. Metabolomic studies of the extract showed that the major phenolic acids present in the extract include rosmarinic, chlorogenic, gallic, vanillic, caffeic, protocatechuic, ferulic and cinnamic acids; while the presence of flavonoids was marked by cirsimaritin, chrysoeriol, vanillin, rutin and quercetin.

Efficacy of <i>Catharanthus Roseus</i> Extract Against Dengue Virus Type 2 Infection in Vitro

Catharanthus roseus, known as Madagascar periwinkle is an herbal and traditional plant used for treatment of various diseases.A study was carried out to test the cytotoxicity and antiviral effects of methanol extract from the leaves of C. roseus . The leaves of C. roseus were extracted using methanol to produce crude methanol extract. In vitro cytotoxicity test was performed to determine the concentration value of the extract causing 50% cell death (CC 50 ) using MTT assay. The antiviral activity has been confirmed by conducting foci forming unit reduction assay (FFURA) which involved post-treatment, pre-treatment and virucidal tests. Cytotoxicity test was performed on Vero cells indicates the CC 50 value for C. roseus extract towards Vero cells was 0.13 mg/mL. The 50% Effective Concentration, EC 50 of C. roseus extract was 0.025 mg/mL. Selectivity index of C. roseu s extract against DENV-2 was 5.2. Three treatments were used in the antiviral test; 1) post-treatment, 2) pre-treatment, and 3) virucidal. The results revealed that the post-treatment was more effective in inhibiting viral replication compared to pre-treatment and virucidal. The results of this research showed that C. roseu s extract has good potential for prospective nature-based antiviral drug.

Antiviral Activity of Fritillaria thunbergii Extract against Human Influenza Virus H1N1 (PR8) In Vitro, In Ovo and In Vivo.

Influenza viruses cause respiratory diseases in humans and animals with high morbidity and mortality rates. Conventional anti-influenza drugs are reported to exert side effects and newly emerging viral strains tend to develop resistance to these commonly used agents. Fritillaria thunbergii (FT) is traditionally used as an expectorant for controlling airway inflammatory disorders. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of FT extracts against influenza virus type A (H1N1) infection in vitro, in ovo, and in vivo. In the post-treatment assay, FT extracts showed high CC50 (7,500 µg/ml), indicating low toxicity, and exerted moderate antiviral effects compared to oseltamivir (SI 50.6 vs. 222) in vitro. Antiviral activity tests in ovo revealed strong inhibitory effects of both FT extract and oseltamivir against H1N1 replication in embryonated eggs. Notably, at a treatment concentration of 150 mg/kg, only half the group administered oseltamivir survived whereas the FT group showed 100% survival, clearly demonstrating the low toxicity of FT extracts. Consistent with these findings, FT-administered mice showed a higher survival rate with lower body weight reduction relative to the oseltamivir group upon treatment 24 h after viral infection. Our collective results suggest that FT extracts exert antiviral effects against influenza H1N1 virus without inducing toxicity in vitro, in ovo or in vivo, thereby supporting the potential utility of FT extract as a novel candidate therapeutic drug or supplement against influenza.

Structural characterization and antiviral activity of two fucoidans from the brown algae Sargassum henslowianum

Purified fucoidans SHAP-1 and SHAP-2 with apparent molecular weights of 6.55 × 105 and 5.89 × 105, respectively, were isolated from Sargassum henslowianum by ion-exchange and gel-filtration column chromatography. They are both composed of fucose and galactose at a ratio of around 3:1 and 31.9% sulfate. The backbone of two fucoidans consists of α-(1→3)-linked L-Fucp residues which are mainly sulfated on the C-2 and C-4 positions. Side chains composed of terminally linked α-L-Fucp and α-D-Galp residues, and (1→2)-, (1→6)-, and (1→2,6)-linked β-D-Galp residues attach mainly at O-4 position of backbone residues. Antiviral test showed that the IC50 values of SHAP-1 and SHAP-2 against HSV-1 were estimated to be 0.89 and 0.82 μg/mL by plaque reduction assay, respectively, whereas both as low as 0.48 μg/mL against HSV-2. The antiviral mechanism of the fucoidans might be at least through blocking HSV-2 virion adsorption to host cells. These results suggest that the fucoidans have potential clinical applications.

Evaluation on the antiviral activity of genipin against white spot syndrome virus in crayfish

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a serious epidemic pathogen of crustaceans and cause severe economic losses to aquaculture. However, no commercial drugs presently available to control WSSV infection. Genipin (GN) is a bioactive compound extracted from the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides and exhibits potential antiviral activity. In the study, the antiviral activity of GN against WSSV was investigated in crayfish Procambarus clarkii and in shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. In vitro antiviral test showed that GN could inhibit WSSV replication in crayfish and in shrimp, and the highest inhibition on WSSV was over 99% when treatment with 50 mg/kg of GN for 24 h. In vivo antiviral test proved that GN could be used to treat and prevent WSSV infection. GN could also effectively protect crayfish from WSSV infection by reducing the mortality rate of WSSV-infected crayfish. Moreover, GN attenuated the WSSV-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory by upregulation the expression of antioxidant-related genes and downregulation the expression of inflammatory-related genes, respectively. Mechanically, GN inhibited WSSV replication at least via decreasing STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) gene expression to block WSSV immediate-early gene ie1 transcription. Additionally, the inhibition of BI-1 (Bax inhibitor-1) gene expression also played an important role in the suppression of WSSV infection. In conclusion, GN represented a potential therapeutic and preventive agent to block WSSV infection.

Pengaruh Perbedaan Metode Ekstraksi Metabolit Sekunder Streptomyces sp. GMR22 terhadap Toksisitas pada Sel BHK-21

Streptomyces sp. GMR22 is local isolate from Wanagama 1 Forest in Yogyakarta. They have the potential to be developed to produce active compounds because have PKS and NRPS genes.The active compounds from isolation are strongly influenced by various factors, one of them is extraction techniques. Effect difference of extraction technique will be affected by the quality of secondary metabolites produced.The purpose of this study was to compare the cytotoxicity effects of secondary metabolites of Streptomyces sp. GMR22 which have extracted with different stages from previous studies. The extraction technique was carried out by multilevel separatory funnel extraction methods, which was first extracted using non-polar solvent (n-hexane) and then extracted using semi-polar solvent (ethyl acetate). This research is important because in previous studies (separatory funnel only extracted using ethyl acetate) with the use of the lowest concentration in the dengue virus antiviral test (further test) caused 100% of deaths in BHK-21 cells.This study indicate that multilevel extraction result in lower CC50 value than previous studies. There are 49.160 µl/ml (n-hexane extract) and 284.56 µl/ml (ethyl acetate extract) while water extract is 464,38 µl/ml. FTIR compound analysis show that the three extracts produced have different spectrum patterns, especially in the n-hexane and ethyl acetate extract. Value of CC50 is not too high, it is expected that the secondary metabolites contained in the extracts can be used for further analysis such as antiviral testing because it is safe for normal host cells such as BHK-21 cells

Detection of oseltamivir-resistant zoonotic and animal influenza A viruses using the rapid influenza antiviral resistance test.

Mutations in the influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) that cause reduced susceptibility to the NA inhibitor (NAI) oseltamivir may occur naturally or following antiviral treatment. Currently, detection uses either a traditional NA inhibition assay or gene sequencing to identify known markers associated with reduced inhibition by oseltamivir. Both methods are laborious and require trained personnel. The influenza antiviral resistance test (iART), a prototype system developed by Becton, Dickinson and Company for research use only, offers a rapid and simple method to identify such viruses. This study investigated application of iART to influenza A viruses isolated from non‐human hosts with a variety of NA subtypes (N1‐N9).

Study on Antiviral Activity of Two Recombinant Antimicrobial Peptides Against Tobacco Mosaic Virus.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are generally small peptides with less than 50 amino acid residues, which have been considered as the first line of defense system in plants and animals. These small cationic peptides belong to a family of antimicrobials that are multifunctional effectors of innate immunity. The direct antimicrobial activity of AMPs against different bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites has been confirmed in different studies. In this study, the antiviral activity of two recombinant AMPs named thanatin and lactoferricin+lactoferrampin was evaluated against Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) using half-leaf and leaf disk methods under in vivo and in vitro condition, respectively. The obtained result indicated that both recombinant AMPs have shown an antiviral activity against TMV. Compared to the chimeric lactoferricin+lactoferrampin, recombinant thanatin showed a higher rate of antiviral activity against TMV. Three types of effects, including protective, curative, and inactivation, were evaluated during an antiviral activity test. In the present study, the antiviral activity of two recombinant AMPs is represented for the first time: thanatin and chimeric lactoferricin+lactoferrampin against TMV as a viral plant pathogen.

Determination of antimicrobial and antiviral properties of IR3535.

Insect repellent is a substance directly applied to skin or clothing in order to repel flies, mosquitoes, ticks etc. IR3535 or Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (EBAAP) is a relatively new repellent which is classified as a biopesticide due to exceptional skin tolerance and overall safety. The repellency against various insect and ticks, and the low toxicity of IR3535 are well acknowledged. However, there has been no attempt to investigate the effects on microorganisms or viruses up to now. In the present study, antimicrobial activity was investigated based on disc diffusion and micro-well dilution assays. Disc diffusion assays revealed IR3535 displayed remarkable antimicrobial activity on the microorganisms tested. MIC results showed that the antifungal efficiency of IR3535 is higher with respect to its antibacterial and anticandidal efficiency. Moreover, antiviral test results revealed that IR3535 showed antiviral effects against Poliovirus and Adenovirus. This is the first study that reveals IR3535's antimicrobial and antiviral properties against a broad range of microorganisms and viruses. In consideration of the antimicrobial and antiviral properties, IR3535 is a promising agent that could be used to develop novel therapeutic approaches, new application areas and formulations in the future.

Establishment and characterization of a model of Mayaro virus infection in immunocompromised mice

Mayaro virus (MAYV) belongs to the Alphavirus genus along with other important viruses such as Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The chronic disease caused by MAYV is described by a highly incapacitating joint pain which may endure for several weeks or months in at least 50% of the symptomatic patients. Recently, reports of sporadic outbreaks in humans has increased, however, the dynamic of the Mayaro infection is not completely understood and there is still no treatment or vaccine available. Herein, our goal was to develop an animal immunocompromised model ideal to understand the immunologic dynamic of the disease and perform antiviral tests.

Chromatographic Data Segmentation Method: A Hybrid Analytical Approach for the Investigation of Antiviral Substances in Medicinal Plant Extracts.

The methodology described in this article will significantly reduce the time required for understanding the relations between chromatographic data and bioactivity assays. The methodology is a hybrid of hypothesis-based and data-driven scientific approaches. In this work, a novel chromatographic data segmentation method is proposed, which demonstrates the capability of finding what volatile substances are responsible for antiviral and cytotoxic effects in the medicinal plant extracts. Up until now, the full potential of the separation methods has not been exploited in the life sciences. This was due to the lack of data ordering methods capable of adequately preparing the chromatographic information. Furthermore, the data analysis methods suffer from multidimensionality, requiring a large number of investigated data points. A new method is described for processing any chromatographic information into a vector. The obtained vectors of highly complex and different origin samples can be compared mathematically. The proposed method, efficient with relatively small sized data sets, does not suffer from multidimensionality. In this novel analytical approach, the samples did not need fractionation and purification, which is typically used in hypothesis-based scientific research. All investigations were performed using crude extracts possessing hundreds of phyto-substances. The antiviral properties of medicinal plant extracts were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, antiviral tests, and proposed data analysis methods. The findings suggested that (i) β- cis-caryophyllene, linalool, and eucalyptol possess antiviral activity, while (ii) thujones do not, and (iii) α-thujone, β-thujone, cis- p-menthan-3-one, and estragole show cytotoxic effects.