In vitro Anti-viral Activity of the Total Alkaloids from Tripterygium hypoglaucum against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a commonly occurring human pathogen worldwide. There is an urgent need to discover and develop new alternative agents for the management of HSV-1 infection. Tripterygium hypoglaucum (level) Hutch (Celastraceae) is a traditional Chinese medicine plant with many pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammation, anti-tumor and antifertility. The usual medicinal part is the roots which contain about a 1% yield of alkaloids. A crude total alkaloids extract was prepared from the roots of T. hypoglaucum amd its antiviral activity against HSV-1 in Vero cells was evaluated by cytopathic effect (CPE) assay, plaque reduction assay and by RT-PCR analysis. The alkaloids extract presented low cytotoxicity (CC50 = 46.6 μg/mL) and potent CPE inhibition activity, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 6.5 μg/mL, noticeably lower than that of Acyclovir (15.4 μg /mL). Plaque formation was significantly reduced by the alkaloids extract at concentrations of 6.25 μg/mL to 12.5 μg/mL, the plaque reduction ratio reached 55% to 75% which was 35% higher than that of Acyclovir at the same concentration. RT-PCR analysis showed that, the transcription of two important delayed early genes UL30 and UL39, and a late gene US6 of HSV-1 genome all were suppressed by the alkaloids extract, the expression inhibiting efficacy compared to the control was 74.6% (UL30), 70.9% (UL39) and 62.6% (US6) respectively at the working concentration of 12.5μg/mL. The above results suggest a potent anti-HSV-1 activity of the alkaloids extract in vitro.

Effect of siRNAs on HSV-1 Plaque Formation and Relative Expression Levels of RR mRNA

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process by which introduced small interfering RNA (siRNA) can cause the specific degradation of mRNA with identical sequences. The human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) RR is composed of two distinct homodimeric subunits encoded by UL39 and UL40,respectively. In this study,we applied siRNAs targeting the UL39 and UL40 genes of HSV-1. We showed that synthetic siRNA silenced effectively and specifically UL39 and UL40 mRNA expression and inhibited HSV-1 replication. Our work offers new possibilities for RNAi as a genetic tool for inhibition of HSV-1 replication.

Tocolysis Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Their Effective Components

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for anti-abortion is based on the theory of gynecology of TCM,which aims to prevent and treat abdominal pain during pregnancy,fetal leakage,uneasy fetal movement,and fetal atrophy.Because of the complexity of the ingredients of Chinese Materia Medica,and the imprecise intervention mechanism for tocolysis,further investigation about the effects of Chinese herbs and their components on tocolysis by utilizing advanced technologies is required to be made.All the information available about TCM and its effects on pregnant women and fetuses was collected via electronic search using Web of Science,PubMed,and CNKI,and a library search was performed to locate classic herbal medicine books.The active ingredients in TCM were screened with the help of Traditional chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform(TCMSP).The keywords being used included herbal names,pharmacology,pregnancy,threatened abortion,and fetus.Modern pharmacological studies have shown that TCM mainly prevents threatened abortion by a direct effect on the pregnant woman’s immune system,sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone,the uterus and the endometrium,and the decidual tissue such as the placenta.It may also address pregnancy complications due to advanced maternal age,infection,polycystic ovary syndrome,diabetes,and mental disorders caused by threat of a miscarriage.TCM protects against spontaneous miscarriage,but its mechanisms are largely unknown.This research applies scientific methods to characterize and examine the effective components of TCM and their application to lower the risk of abortion to the pregnant women and fetuses.