The herbs Plantago asiatica and Clerodendrum trichotomum have been commonly used for\ncenturies in indigenous and folk medicine in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In this\nstudy, we show that extracts from these herbs have antiviral effects against the respiratory syncytial\nvirus (RSV) in vitro cell cultures and an in vivo mouse model. Treatment of HEp2 cells and A549\ncells with a non-cytotoxic concentration of Plantago asiatica or Clerodendrum trichotomum extract\nsignificantly reduced RSV replication, RSV-induced cell death, RSV gene transcription, RSV protein\nsynthesis, and also blocked syncytia formation. Interestingly, oral inoculation with each herb extract\nsignificantly improved viral clearance in the lungs of BALB/c mice. Based on reported information\nand a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the phenolic glycoside acteoside\nwas identified as an active chemical component of both herb extracts. An effective dose of acteoside\nexhibited similar antiviral effects as each herb extract against RSV in vitro and in vivo. Collectively,\nthese results suggest that extracts of Plantago asiatica and Clerodendrum trichotomum could provide a\npotent natural source of an antiviral drug candidate against RSV infection.
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