Nucleoside analogues have been the mainstay of clinical treatment of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infections since their development. However, the emergence of drug resistant strains has underlined the urgency of the discovery of novel anti-HSV-1 drugs. Natural products, which provided many novel drug leads, are known to be an important source of anti-HSV-1 agents. Herein, we present an overview of natural products with anti-HSV-1 activities isolated from a variety of plants reported in recent years. Several different compounds, mainly belonging to the three groups of polysaccharides, polyphenols and terpenes, showed antiviral effects against HSV-1, indicating their potential to be promising anti-HSV-1 agents.

A polyphenolic compound, 1,2,4,6-tetra-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (1246TGG), was isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Phyllanthus emblica L. (Euphorbiaceae) and assayed for its potential as an anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) agent. The cytotoxicity of 1246TGG on HepG2.2.15 as well as HepG2 cells was determined by observing cytopathic effects, and the effects of 1246TGG on secretion of HBsAg and HBeAg in HepG2.2.15 cells were assayed by enzyme immunoassay. Results indicates that treatment with 1246TGG (6.25 μg/mL, 3.13 μg/mL), reduced both HBsAg and HBeAg levels in culture supernatant, yet the inhibitory effects tend to decline with the assay time. This study provides a basis for further investigation of the anti-HBV activity and possible mechanism of action of 1246TGG.

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.

To investigate the effect of hSCGF-alpha on human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hUCMSCs), we obtained hSCGF-alpha using genetic engineering, hSCGF-alpha gene was amplified from hUCMSCs cDNA using two-step PCR and was inserted into pET-28a(+) plasmid vector. Induced by IPTG at 20 degrees Celsius for 24 h, the fusion protein expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was mainly existing in soluble form. The recombinant hSCGF-a was purified using NI-NTA affinity chromatography and the purity was up to 90%. The colony forming test revealed that combined use hSCGF-alpha and rmGM-CSF (recombinant murine GM-colony stimulating factor, rmGM-CSF) had granulocyte/macrophage (GM) promoting effects on murine bone marrow GM progenitor. In addition, the results indicated that hSCGF-alpha and rhGM-CSF had stimulatory effect on hUCMSCs and their synergetic effect was the strongest.
Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cloning, Molecular ; Drug Synergism ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Stem Cell Factor ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Umbilical Cord ; cytology