Anti-avian influenza virus H5N3 activity of ethanol extract of Psoralea drupacea Bge. in chicken embryos

Currently, no means of specific prevention and treatment of avian influenza are known. Lack of specific prevention measures, in other words the impossibility of vaccine development in the traditional way on chicken embryos due to the pathogenicity of the avian influenza virus (A/H5N1, A/H5N3) for chickens and embryos makes the search for active substances against influenza A viruses topical [1]. Herbal medications are deemed as alternative drugs. Typically, they are believed to be safer than chemical drugs, and less likely to collide with the stable viruses due to their multivalent functions [2]. The present work studies the anti-avian influenza virus H5N3 activity of ethanol extract of Psoralea drupacea Bge.root in chicken embryos. The ethanol extract has a high antiviral activity against this strain of influenza in comparison with commercial drugs such as tamiflu and remantadin. The plant extracts in doses of 0.63 – 10 mg/chicken embryo (CE) completely suppress 100 infectious doses of avian influenza virus strain A/tern/South Africa/1/61 (H5N3). Whereas Tamiflu suppresses the reproduction of the avian influenza A/H5N3 virus by 40% only at the maximum dose (10 mg/CE), and remantadin has no inhibitory activity against this virus. Studies have shown the possibility of using the extract as a virulide for the prevention and treatment of avian influenza in veterinary medicine.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 December 2022

• References

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