Virology

Biography

Biography: Mohamed Shaheen

Abstract

Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3) represents current major threats to public health and considers as an important viral pathogen related to viral myocarditis. We determined the antiviral properties of five extracts of cassia alata leaves in vitro. The most potent extract was selected to be tested in vivo. In vitro, the cytotoxicity effect of the extracts on GMK cells was conducted by MTT colorimetric assay. The antiviral activity of the extracts was determined in three different ways (virucidal, pre-treatment, and post-treatment) by MTT and 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) methods. In vivo, after toxicity determination, the antiviral activity of the selected extract using two safe doses was evaluated based on determination of the morbidity, mortality, heart to body weight ratio (HW/BW), activities LDH, AST, and CK enzymes, virus titers, and necrosis in heart tissues in infected mice with CVB3. Our results demonstrated that the all extracts of C. alata showed antiviral activity against CVB3 in vitro with TI ranged from 0.2 to 12.2 and reduction in virus titers ranged from 0 log10 to 2.5 log10 where the methanolic extract was the most effective against CVB3 infection in vitro. In vivo, the methanol extract was found to be safe at 100 mg/kg body weight and therefor for antiviral evaluation we used 100 and 50 mg/kg body weight as safe doses. Our results suggested that the methaolic extract of C. alta was significantly reduced the morbidity, mortality, HW/BW, virus titers, necrosis and mononuclear cell infiltration of heart tissues at the both dosages. Also the extract showed the ability to maintain levels of LDH, AST, and CK enzymes at normal level in the treated infected mice compared with those untreated infected mice. This result suggested that the methaolic extract of C. alata may represent a potential antiviral agent to treatment CVB3 myocarditis.