The in vitro Anti-Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 and Type-2 Activity of Long Dan Xie Gan Tan, a Prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Published in: Chemotherapy (Basel) Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 77 - 83
• Main Authors: Cheng, Hua-Yew, Huang, Hsin-Hsin, Yang, Chien-Min, Lin, Liang-Tzung, Lin, Chun-Ching
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.01.2008
• Subjects: Animals; Antiviral Agents - isolation & purification; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Cercopithecus aethiops; Chinese medicine; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - isolation & purification; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Herpes simplex virus 1; Herpes viruses; Herpesvirus 1, Human - drug effects; Herpesvirus 1, Human - physiology; Herpesvirus 2, Human - drug effects; Herpesvirus 2, Human - physiology; Medicine, Chinese Traditional - methods; Pharmacology; Phytotherapy - methods; Vero Cells; Virology; Traditional Chinese medicine; Chinese prescription; Long Dan Xie Gan Tan; Anti-herpes simplex virus activity; Virus inactivation
• ISSN: 0009-3157; 1421-9794
• DOI: 10.1159/000119705

Background: Long Dan Xie Gan Tan (LDXGT), a decoction of radix gentianae for purging the pathogenic inflammation of the liver, is a widely used prescription among many in traditional Chinese medicine. The prescription is primarily used to treat the disorders induced by damp-heat in the liver and the gall bladder. Methods: In this study, the in vitro anti-herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) and type-2 (HSV-2) activity of the water extract of LDXGT was investigated. Results: LDXGT water extract was shown to exhibit anti-HSV activity. The IC 50 values of LDXGT against HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections were 257.5 ± 12.2 and 494.6 ± 1.8 µg/ml, respectively. It had a CC 50 value of 4,077.2 ± 2.4 µg/ml towards Vero cells and showed no cytotoxic effect at a concentration of 2,000 µg/ml or below. The prescription was also found to inactivate HSV-2 infectivity in a dose-, time- and temperature-dependent manner. Conclusions: In summary, the water extract of LDXGT was concluded to inhibit HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection at different magnitudes of potency, and our observations also suggested that the effect was likely mediated by directly inactivating the virus infectivity.