Antiviral Activities of Aqueous Extracts of Aerial Parts of Spring and Autumn-harvested Artemisia aucheri Bioss. on Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Abstract

Abstract Background In this study, Artemisia aucheri extracts (the vernal and Autumnal extracts) were used to investigate their antiviral effects against HSV-1. In the present paper, we aimed, to investigate the antiviral effects of Artemisia aucheri extracts of the vernal and autumnal against HSV-1 and also, the expression of the US6 gene and its protein level in cell culture. Methods The toxicity of the extracts was directly studied at different concentrations using the MTT assay on the Vero cell line. Also, the effects of Artemisia aucheri extracts on the gene expression of Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) US6 (gD) and protein synthesis were investigated using q-PCR and western blot methods, respectively. Results Our findings indicated that HSV-1 US6 gene expression was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) after being infected with the virus and adding Artemisia aucheri aqueous extracts at the same time. Also, the reduction of HSV-1 gD protein expression was confirmed by the western blot assay. Conclusions Artemisia aucheri aqueous extracts could be a new effective and potential treatment candidate for HSV-1 infections.