Antiviral Activity of Seven Iridoids, Three Saikosaponins and One Phenylpropanoid Glycoside Extracted from Bupleurum rigidum and Scrophularia scorodonia

Abstract

As part of our screening of antiviral agents from medicinal plants, 11 compounds from plant origin (Bupleurum rigidum and Scrophularia scorodonia), three saikosaponins, seven iridoids and one phenylpropanoid glycoside were tested in vitro against herpes simplex type I (HSV-1), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and poliovirus type 1. Five of these compounds showed antiviral activity against VSV. The percentages of cellular viability at the non-toxic limit concentrations of the active compounds were: verbascoside 53.6 % at 500 μg/ml, 8-acetylharpagide 32.1 % at 500 μg/ml, harpagoside 43.3 % at 450 μg/ml, scorodioside 47.8 % at 500 μg/ml and buddlejasaponin IV 56.9 % at 25 μg/ml. Although none of the saikosaponins were active against HSV-1, the iridoid scorodioside showed moderate in vitro anti-HSV-1 activity (30.6 % at 500 μg/ml). However, none of the compounds tested in this survey had any effect against poliovirus.

Key words

Iridoids - saikosaponins - verbascoside - Bupleurum rigidum - Umbelliferae - Scrophularia scorodonia - Scrophulariaceae - antiviral activity

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