| In vitro: |
| Planta Med. 2007 Jun;73(6):552-8. | | Effect of cantharidin, cephalotaxine and homoharringtonine on [Pubmed: 17458779 ] | The effect as antiviral agents versus viral hepatitis B and C of three compounds purified from natural products commonly used as remedies in traditional Chinese medicine, cantharidin, cephalotaxine and homoharingtonine, was investigated.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
To assess the activity of these compounds against flavivirus, we used bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) as a surrogate for hepatitis C virus (HCV). Anti-BVDV activity was determined by reduction in BVDV-RNA production and protection of infected embryonic bovine trachea (EBTr) cells against the cytopathic effect of BVDV. The effect versus hepatitis B virus (HBV) was investigated by measuring HBsAg and HBV-DNA release from hepatoblastoma HepG2 2.2.15 cells infected with HBV. As positive control we used the standard anti-HBV and anti-HCV drugs, lamivudine and ribavirin, respectively. Up to 100 microM lamivudine and ribavirin did not induce cell toxicity, whereas they induced dose-dependent anti-HBV and anti-BVDV effects, respectively. In the same range, cantharidin, cephalotaxine and homoharringtonine induced toxicity in EBTr cells and had no protective effect against BVDV.
CONCLUSIONS:
In contrast, they were able to inhibit HBV production at concentrations 10- to 100-fold lower than those inducing cell toxicity, which suggests that they are useless for the treatment of infection by flaviviruses, but potentially useful in combined therapy against hepatitis B. |
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