Comparison of Antiviral Effects of Chelidonium majus L. Hexane and Aqueous Extracts against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) leads to various clinical manifestations in humans. Due to drug resistance, the use of herbs extracts for treatment has been considered as a significant solution. One of these compounds is Chelidonium majus L. herb extracts which is known as Mamiran in Iran. In this study, two aqueous and hexane extracts of Chelidonium majus L. were used to investigate the antiviral effects against HSV-1. The toxicity of hexane and aqueous extracts on HeLa cells was determined by MTT assay. Anti-viral effects of the extracts were evaluated directly, at different concentrations and times. The effect of the aforementioned extracts on reducing the virus replication was evaluated by quantitative Real-time PCR based on the glycoprotein D (gD) gene expression level of the herpes simplex virus. We observed that a 3500 μg/ml concentration of aqueous extract of C.majus and 600 μg/ml concentration of hexane extract were not toxic to HeLa cells. None of the extracts had a direct anti-viral effect on the virus. The aqueous extract at the above concentrations after 1, 2, 4, and 8 h of adsorption significantly reduced on virus replication. In contrast, the hexanic extract of this plant had no viral and inhibitory effect on HSV-1 replication. The aqueous extract of C.majus has an antiviral effect on HSV-1 compared to the hexane extract.