Plant-derived antivirals against hepatitis c virus infection

Therapeutic approaches for chronic hepatitis C: a concise review

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant global health concern, prompting the need for effective treatment strategies. This in-depth review critically assesses the landscape of HCV treatment, drawing parallels between traditional interferon/ribavirin therapy historically pivotal in HCV management and herbal approaches rooted in traditional and complementary medicine. Advancements in therapeutic development and enhanced clinical outcomes axis on a comprehensive understanding of the diverse HCV genome, its natural variations, pathogenesis, and the impact of dietary, social, environmental, and economic factors. A thorough analysis was conducted through reputable sources such as Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, books, and dissertations. This review primarily focuses on the intricate nature of HCV genomes and explores the potential of botanical drugs in both preventing and treating HCV infections.

Harnessing Nature's Gifts: Salix nigra and Its Potential for Combating Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes various liver complications, including fibrosis, cirrhosis, and steatosis, and finally progresses toward hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The current study aimed to explore the antiviral activity of the traditional Pakistani medicinal plant Salix nigra (S. nigra) known as black willow against the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The anti-HCV activity of S. nigra was established against stable Hep G2 cell lines expressing the HCV NS3 gene. Various plant-derived compounds with anti-HCV activity were identified, making phytotherapy a promising alternative to conventional treatments due to their cost-effectiveness and milder side effects. The two extraction methods (Maceration and Soxhlet) and four solvents (n-hexane, methanol, ethyl acetate, and water) were used to obtain crude extracts from S. nigra. Cytotoxicity testing showed that methanol (CC50 25 μg/mL) and water (CC50 30 μg/mL) extracts were highly toxic, while ethyl acetate and n-hexane (CC50 > 200 μg/mL) extracts were nontoxic at low concentrations (10-50 μg/mL), making them suitable for further anti-HCV investigations. Stable transfection of the NS3 gene was successfully performed in Hep G2 cells, creating a cellular expression system for studying virus-host interaction. The ethyl acetate extract of S. nigra exhibited significant inhibition of NS3 gene expression (mRNA and protein levels). The phytochemical analysis of S. nigra was also performed using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. The phytochemical analysis identified several polyphenolic substances in the extracts of S. nigra. Our results concluded that the extracts of S. nigra have significantly reduced the expression of the NS3 gene at mRNA and protein levels. These findings contribute to the global efforts to combat hepatitis C by offering plant-based treatment options for HCV management.

Antiviral Evaluation of New Synthetic Bioconjugates Based on GA-Hecate: A New Class of Antivirals Targeting Different Steps of Zika Virus Replication

Re-emerging arboviruses represent a serious health problem due to their rapid vector-mediated spread, mainly in urban tropical areas. The 2013-2015 Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in South and Central America has been associated with cases of microcephaly in newborns and Guillain-Barret syndrome. We previously showed that the conjugate gallic acid-Hecate (GA-FALALKALKKALKKLKKALKKAL-CONH2)-is an efficient inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus. Here, we show that the Hecate peptide is degraded in human blood serum into three major metabolites. These metabolites conjugated with gallic acid were synthesized and their effect on ZIKV replication in cultured cells was evaluated. The GA-metabolite 5 (GA-FALALKALKKALKKL-COOH) was the most efficient in inhibiting two ZIKV strains of African and Asian lineage at the stage of both virus entry (virucidal and protective) and replication (post-entry). We also demonstrate that GA-metabolite 5 does not affect cell growth after 7 days of continuous treatment. Thus, this study identifies a new synthetic antiviral compound targeting different steps of ZIKV replication in vitro and with the potential for broad reactivity against other flaviviruses. Our work highlights a promising strategy for the development of new antivirals based on peptide metabolism and bioconjugation.

Investigation of novel HCV therapies: Boscia angustifalia &Boscia senegalensis extracts loaded on galactosylated chitosan nanoparticles synthesized by eco-friendly method for HCV treatment

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major causative agent of chronic liver diseases including chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Treatment of HCV has evolved from early interferon monotherapy to the current all-oral regimens using direct-acting antivirals. However, antiviral resistance has become a critical issue in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C after receiving therapy with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) with a 0.5 % chance of the hepatitis C virus recurrence, similar to other chronic viral infections. So, retreatment options following treatment failure have become crucial issues. Hence, this study aims to investigate a new promising therapy for HCV. In the field of nanomedicine, chitosan nanoparticles are well-known delivery systems that are frequently used as polymeric carriers. Galactosylated chitosan nanoparticles have been widely applied in HCV treatment. In this study, we have modified galactosylation by an eco-friendly method using l-ascorbic instead of hazardous reagents and we have loaded it with newly tested two Boscia extracts each in three different concentrations. The synthesized chitosan nanoparticles showed two dispersion peaks, at 196 ± 29 nm and 1.33 ± 0.36 μm, with a zeta potential of +3.3 ± 0.4mV with high stability in a range of 40.7 mV. The percentage of encapsulation of Boscia angustifalia extract was found to be 46.58 ± 1.33 % and for Boscia senegalensis extract was 9.77 ± 0.33 %. The release of Boscia angustifalia extract from the nanoparticles was about 40 % in acidic media after 180 min and about 60 % in normal pH. However, the release of Boscia senegalensis extract was 20 % in acidic media and 56 % in normal media after 24 h. Testing of these two newly developed composites against HCV was carried out using an in vitro system for the production of hepatitis C virus (HCV) which was established by infection of human hepatoma cells. Evidence for persistent virus production was monitored by the ELISA technique using an anti-HCV-specific antibody. Results obtained showed that all samples had an anti-HCV activity that increased by increasing concentration, and Boscia angustifalia had remarkable anti-HCV activity compared to Boscia senegalensis.

Target-specificity of different amyrin subunits in impeding HCV influx mechanism inside the human cells considering the quantum tunnel profiles and molecular strings of the CD81 receptor: a combined in silico and in vivo study

HCV is a hepatotropic RNA virus recognized for its frequent virulence and fatality worldwide. Despite many vaccine development programs underway, researchers are on a quest for natural bioactive compounds due to their multivalent efficiencies against viral infections, considering which the current research aimed to figure out the target-specificity and therapeutic potentiality of α, β, and δ subunits of amyrin, as novel bioactive components against the HCV influx mechanism. Initially, the novelty of amyrin subunits was conducted from 203 pharmacophores, comparing their in-silico pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles. Besides, the best active site of CD81 was determined following the quantum tunneling algorithm. The molecular dynamic simulation was conducted (100 ns) following the molecular docking steps to reveal the parameters- RMSD (Å); Cα; RMSF (Å); MolSA (Ų); Rg (nm); PSA (Å); SASA (Ų), and the MM-GBSA dG binding scores. Besides, molecular strings of CD81, along with the co-expressed genes, were classified, as responsible for encoding CD81-mediated protein clusters during HCV infection, resulting in the potentiality of amyrins as targeted prophylactics in HCV infection. Finally, in vivo profiling of the oxidative stress marker, liver-specific enzymes, and antioxidant markers was conducted in the DMN-induced mice model, where β-amyrin scored the most significant values in all aspects.

The long and stumble way to find potential active compounds from plants for defeating hepatitis B and C: review

Hepatitis is a liver illness caused by virus such as hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis B and C are considerably more usual and induce more cirrhosis and dead worldwide than hepatitis A. Although drugs that are currently often used in the medication of hepatitis B and C, the finding of recent drug from various resources including herbal has been intensively developed. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to consider the possibility of plant’s compounds as anti-HBV and anti-HCV. From the results of a review of several articles, several plant’s compound have shown effectiveness againts HBV and HCV by in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies. In conclusion, several plant’s active compounds are possibility to be developed as anti-hepatitis B and C.

Virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulation study of plant protease inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein

Due to the outbreak of a new strain of pandemic coronavirus, there is a huge loss of economy and health. In 2021, some vaccines are recommended as emergency licensed vaccines to protect against the virus, and efforts are continuously ongoing to evaluate the vaccine safety measures for licensed vaccines. Recently, there was an increase in the cases of a new variant of coronavirus (omicron). Envelope protein plays an important role in virus packaging and assembly. If viral assembly is blocked, there is less chance of spreading the infection to another cell.In the present study, the plant protease inhibitors (PPIs) were screened against the envelope protein of SARS CoV 2. The structures were downloaded from the protein data bank. The plant protease inhibitors cystatin-I, Eravatmin, squash, Kunitz, Bowman-Birk, Alpha-amylase inhibitors, and potato serine protease inhibitors were screened and out of them Kunitz, alpha-amylase, and squash protease inhibitors have shown maximum binding energy. The molecular dynamics simulation was performed for docked complexes showing the lowest binding energy by NMA (normal mode analysis) to visualize the motion and stability of complexes. These plant-based protease inhibitors are a good target to fight against the new emerging strain of coronavirus because plant extracted compounds are natural and there is fewer side effect than synthetic compounds.

Anti-HCV Tannins From Plants Traditionally Used in West Africa and Extracted With Green Solvents

Millions of people are still infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) nowadays. Although recent antivirals targeting HCV proteins are very efficient, they are not affordable for many people infected with this virus. Therefore, new and more accessible treatments are needed. Several Ivorian medicinal plants are traditionally used to treat “yellow malaria”, a nosological category including illness characterized by symptomatic jaundice such as hepatitis. Therefore, some of these plants might be active against HCV. An ethnobotanical survey in Côte d’Ivoire allowed us to select such medicinal plants. Those were first extracted with methanol and tested for their anti-HCV activity. The most active ones were further studied to specify their IC50 and to evaluate their toxicity in vitro. Greener solvents were tested to obtain extracts with similar activities. Following a phytochemical screening, tannins of the most active plants were removed before re-testing on HCV. Some of these tannins were identified by UPLC-MS and pure molecules were tested against HCV. Out of the fifteen Ivorian medicinal plants selected for their putative antiviral activities, Carapa procera DC. and Pericopsis laxiflora (Benth. ex Baker) Meeuwen were the most active against HCV (IC50: 0.71 and 0.23 μg/ml respectively) and not toxic for hepatic cells. Their crude extracts were rich in polyphenols, including tannins such as procyanidins A2 which is active against HCV. The same extracts without tannin lost their anti-HCV activity. Replacing methanol by hydro-ethanolic solvent led to tannins-rich extracts with similar antiviral activities, and higher than that of aqueous extracts.

Natural Bioactive Molecules: An Alternative Approach to the Treatment and Control of COVID-19

Several coronaviruses (CoVs) have been associated with serious health hazards in recent decades, resulting in the deaths of thousands around the globe. The recent coronavirus pandemic has emphasized the importance of discovering novel and effective antiviral medicines as quickly as possible to prevent more loss of human lives. Positive-sense RNA viruses with group spikes protruding from their surfaces and an abnormally large RNA genome enclose CoVs. CoVs have already been related to a range of respiratory infectious diseases possibly fatal to humans, such as MERS, SARS, and the current COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, effective prevention, treatment, and medications against human coronavirus (HCoV) is urgently needed. In recent years, many natural substances have been discovered with a variety of biological significance, including antiviral properties. Throughout this work, we reviewed a wide range of natural substances that interrupt the life cycles for MERS and SARS, as well as their potential application in the treatment of COVID-19.

Biomedical Applications of Antiviral Nanohybrid Materials Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Viral Crises

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a global research to uncover novel, effective therapeutical and diagnosis approaches. In addition, control of spread of infection has been targeted through development of preventive tools and measures. In this regard, nanomaterials, particularly, those combining two or even several constituting materials possessing dissimilar physicochemical (or even biological) properties, i.e., nanohybrid materials play a significant role. Nanoparticulate nanohybrids have gained a widespread reputation for prevention of viral crises, thanks to their promising antimicrobial properties as well as their potential to act as a carrier for vaccines. On the other hand, they can perform well as a photo-driven killer for viruses when they release reactive oxygen species (ROS) or photothermally damage the virus membrane. The nanofibers can also play a crucial protective role when integrated into face masks and personal protective equipment, particularly as hybridized with antiviral nanoparticles. In this draft, we review the antiviral nanohybrids that could potentially be applied to control, diagnose, and treat the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the short age of this health problem, trivially the relevant technologies are not that many and are handful. Therefore, still progressing, older technologies with antiviral potential are also included and discussed. To conclude, nanohybrid nanomaterials with their high engineering potential and ability to inactivate pathogens including viruses will contribute decisively to the future of nanomedicine tackling the current and future pandemics.

Therapeutic potential of bicyclol in liver diseases: Lessons from a synthetic drug based on herbal derivative in traditional Chinese medicine

Bicyclol, an innovative chemical drug with proprietary intellectual property rights in China, is based on derivative of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Schisandra chinensis (Wuweizi) of North. Mounting data has proved that bicyclol has therapeutic potential in various pathological conditions in liver. In this narrative review, we provide the first summary of pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetic characteristics and toxicity of bicyclol, and discuss future research perspectives. Our results imply that bicyclol has a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, including anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, immuno-regulatory, anti-oxidative, antisteatotic, anti-fibrotic, antitumor, cell death regulatory effects and modulation of heat shock proteins. Pharmacokinetic studies have indicated that bicyclol is the main substrate of CYP3A/2E1. Additionally, no obvious drug interactions have been found when bicyclol is administered simultaneously with other prescriptions. Furthermore, the results of chronic toxicity have strongly addressed that bicyclol has no noticeable toxic effects on all biochemical indices and pathological examinations of the main organs. In view of good pharmacological actions and safety, bicyclol is anticipated to be a potential candidate for various liver diseases, including acute liver injury, fulminant hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Further studies are therefore required to delineate its molecular mechanisms and targets to confer this well-designed drug a far greater potency. We hope that bicyclol-based therapeutics for liver diseases might be broadly used in clinical practice worldwide.

A roadmap to engineering antiviral natural products synthesis in microbes

Natural products continue to be the inspirations for us to discover and acquire new drugs. The seemingly unstoppable viruses have kept records high to threaten human health and well-being. The diversity and complexity of natural products (NPs) offer remarkable efficacy and specificity to target viral infection steps and serve as excellent source for antiviral agents. The discovery and production of antiviral NPs remain challenging due to low abundance in their native hosts. Reconstruction of NP biosynthetic pathways in microbes is a promising solution to overcome this limitation. In this review, we surveyed 23 most prominent NPs (from more than 200 antiviral NP candidates) with distinct antiviral mode of actions and summarized the recent metabolic engineering effort to produce these compounds in various microbial hosts. We envision that the scalable and low-cost production of novel antiviral NPs, enabled by metabolic engineering, may light the hope to control and eradicate the deadliest viruses that plague our society and humanity.

Potent HCV NS3 Protease Inhibition by a Water-Soluble Phyllanthin Congener

NS3/4A protease of hepatitis C virus (HCV) plays an important role in viral RNA replication. A 1,4-diphenylbutanedicarboxylic acid derivative, namely, phyllanthin, extracted from the leaf of a herbal plant, Phyllanthus amarus, inhibits HCV NS3/4A protease and replication activities. However, the reduced aqueous solubility, high toxicity, and poor oral bioavailability are major impediments with phyllanthin. We herein present a design approach to generate phyllanthin congeners in order to potentiate inhibition activity against protease. The phyllanthin congeners were synthesized by chemical methods and subjected to systematic biological studies. One of the congeners, annotated as D8, is identified as a novel and potent inhibitor of the HCV-NS3/4Aprotease activity in vitro and the viral RNA replication in cell culture. Structural analysis using the computational-based docking approach demonstrated important noncovalent interactions between D8 and the catalytic residues of the viral protease. Furthermore, D8 was found to be significantly nontoxic in cell culture. More importantly, oral administration of D8 in BALB/c mice proved its better tolerability and bioavailability, as compared to native phyllanthin. Taken together, this study reveals a promising candidate for developing anti-HCV therapeutics to control HCV-induced liver diseases.

Antiviral Activity of Chitosan Nanoparticles Encapsulating Curcumin Against Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 4a in Human Hepatoma Cell Lines

Purpose

Current direct-acting antiviral agents for treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 4a (HCV-4a) have been reported to cause adverse effects, and therefore less toxic antivirals are needed. This study investigated the role of curcumin chitosan (CuCs) nanocomposite as a potential anti-HCV-4a agent in human hepatoma cells Huh7.

Methods

Docking of curcumin and CuCs nanocomposite and binding energy calculations were carried out. Chitosan nanoparticles (CsNPs) and CuCs nanocomposite were prepared with an ionic gelation method and characterized with TEM, zeta size and potential, and HPLC to calculate encapsulation efficiency. Cytotoxicity studies were performed on Huh7 cells using MTT assay and confirmed with cellular and molecular assays. Anti-HCV-4a activity was determined using real-time PCR and Western blot.

Results

The strength of binding interactions between protein ligand complexes gave scores with NS3 protease, NS5A polymerase, and NS5B polymerase of -124.91, -159.02, and -129.16, for curcumin respectively, and -68.51, -54.52, and -157.63 for CuCs nanocomposite, respectively. CuCs nanocomposite was prepared at sizes 29-39.5 nm and charges of 33 mV. HPLC detected 4% of curcumin encapsulated into CsNPs. IC50 was 8 µg/mL for curcumin and 25 µg/mL for the nanocomposite on Huh7 but was 25.8 µg/mL and 34 µg/mL on WISH cells. CsNPs had no cytotoxic effect on tested cell lines. Apoptotic genes' expression revealed the caspase-dependent pathway mechanism. CsNPs and CuCs nanocomposite demonstrated 100% inhibition of viral entry and replication, which was confirmed with HCV core protein expression.

Conclusion

CuCs nanocomposite inhibited HCV-4a entry and replication compared to curcumin alone, suggesting its potential role as an effective therapeutic agent.

Natural products and their derivatives against coronavirus: A review of the non-clinical and pre-clinical data

Several corona viral infections have created serious threats in the last couple of decades claiming the death of thousands of human beings. Recently, corona viral epidemic raised the issue of developing effective antiviral agents at the earliest to prevent further losses. Natural products have always played a crucial role in drug development process against various diseases, which resulted in screening of such agents to combat emergent mutants of corona virus. This review focuses on those natural compounds that showed promising results against corona viruses. Although inhibition of viral replication is often considered as a general mechanism for antiviral activity of most of the natural products, studies have shown that some natural products can interact with key viral proteins that are associated with virulence. In this context, some of the natural products have antiviral activity in the nanomolar concentration (e.g., lycorine, homoharringtonine, silvestrol, ouabain, tylophorine, and 7-methoxycryptopleurine) and could be leads for further drug development on their own or as a template for drug design. In addition, a good number of natural products with anti-corona virus activity are the major constituents of some common dietary supplements, which can be exploited to improve the immunity of the general population in certain epidemics.

Novel approach to combat antibiotic resistance: evaluation of some Armenian herb crude extracts for their antibiotic modulatory and antiviral properties

AIMS

One of the strategies to combat antibiotic resistance can be the use of plant materials in combination with antibiotics, taking into account that phytochemicals can act as antibiotic resistance-modifying agents. This can give a second life to the traditional antibiotics. The aim was to evaluate antibiotic modulatory effect of crude extracts from Agrimonia eupatoria, Hypericum alpestre, Rumex obtusifolius and Sanguisorba officinalis herbs towards several commercial antibiotics using some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

METHODS

The antibiotic modulatory activity was tested by determining MICs of antibiotics in the absence and presence of plant crude extracts at subinhibitory concentrations. Antiviral potential of different extracts of tested plant materials was also explored by double overlay plaque assay.

RESULTS

The tested plant crude extracts exhibited high modulatory activity towards used antibiotics. Particularly, high modulatory activity was observed with extracts of H. alpestre and R. obtusifolius. Many plant-antibiotic combinations induced the decrease in MICs of antibiotics up to ~fourfold indicating synergy. Moreover, the similar change was observed at both subinhibitory concentrations (MIC/2 and MIC/4) of the same plant crude extract. High anti-phage activity of plants with the exception of Lilium armenum against T4 phage of Escherichia coli C-T4 was also shown.

CONCLUSIONS

Plant crude extract or commercial antibiotic combinations significantly increased the efficiency of antibiotics. Tested plant materials with exception of L. armenum have antiviral property.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

For the first time, antibiotic modulatory activity of tested herb extracts was shown, which could have potential in practical applications. Tested plant materials with exception of L. armenum could have prospective, as a source of new antiviral compounds.

Raistrickindole A, an Anti-HCV Oxazinoindole Alkaloid from Penicillium raistrickii IMB17-034

Raistrickindole A (1), a new indole diketopiperazine alkaloid containing an unusual pyrazino[1',2':2,3][1,2]oxazino[6,5- b]indole tetraheterocyclic ring system, a new benzodiazepine derivative, raistrickin (2), and the known haenamindole (3) and sclerotigenin (4) were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium raistrickii IMB17-034. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses and TDDFT calculations of the NMR and ECD data. Compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibitory activities against the hepatitis C virus.

Up-regulation of glycolipid transfer protein by bicyclol causes spontaneous restriction of hepatitis C virus replication

Bicyclol is a synthetic drug for hepatoprotection in clinic since 2004. Preliminary clinical observations suggest that bicyclol might be active against hepatitis C virus (HCV) with unknown mechanism. Here, we showed that bicyclol significantly inhibited HCV replication in vitro and in hepatitis C patients. Using bicyclol as a probe, we identified glycolipid transfer protein (GLTP) to be a novel restrictive factor for HCV replication. The GLTP preferentially bound host vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein-A (VAP-A) in competition with the HCV NS5A, causing an interruption of the complex formation between VAP-A and HCV NS5A. As the formation of VAP-A/NS5A complex is essential for viral RNA replication, up-regulation of GLTP by bicyclol reduced the level of VAP-A/NS5A complex and thus inhibited HCV replication. Bicyclol also exhibited an inhibition on HCV variants resistant to direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) with an efficacy identical to that on wild type HCV. In combination with bicyclol, DAAs inhibited HCV replication in a synergistic fashion. GLTP appears to be a newly discovered host restrictive factor for HCV replication, Up-regulation of GLTP causes spontaneous restriction of HCV replication.

The Therapeutic Potential of Naringenin: A Review of Clinical Trials

Naringenin is a flavonoid belonging to flavanones subclass. It is widely distributed in several Citrus fruits, bergamot, tomatoes and other fruits, being also found in its glycosides form (mainly naringin). Several biological activities have been ascribed to this phytochemical, among them antioxidant, antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiadipogenic and cardioprotective effects. Nonetheless, most of the data reported have been obtained from in vitro or in vivo studies. Although some clinical studies have also been performed, the main focus is on naringenin bioavailability and cardioprotective action. In addition, these studies were done in compromised patients (i.e., hypercholesterolemic and overweight), with a dosage ranging between 600 and 800 μM/day, whereas the effect on healthy volunteers is still debatable. In fact, naringenin ability to improve endothelial function has been well-established. Indeed, the currently available data are very promising, but further research on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects is encouraged to improve both available production and delivery methods and to achieve feasible naringenin-based clinical formulations.