Antiviral Effect of Ephedrine Alkaloids-Free Ephedra Herb Extract against SARS-CoV-2 In Vitro

We report for the first time that ephedrine alkaloids-free Ephedra Herb extract (EFE) directly inhibits the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro and that the addition of EFE to the culture medium before viral infection reduces virus titers in the cultu...

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Published inMicroorganisms (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 534
Main Authors Uema, Masashi, Hyuga, Masashi, Yonemitsu, Kenzo, Hyuga, Sumiko, Amakura, Yoshiaki, Uchiyama, Nahoko, Mizoguchi, Kazushige, Odaguchi, Hiroshi, Goda, Yukihiro
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 20.02.2023
MDPI
Subjects
Alkaloids
Analgesics
Antiviral agents
antiviral therapeutic
Cancer
Chemical compounds
Chemical properties
Chromatography
Communication
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Ephedra
Ephedra Herb macromolecule condensed–tannin
Ephedrine
ephedrine alkaloids-free Ephedra Herb extract
Experiments
Health aspects
Herbs
Hypertension
Infections
Influenza
Insomnia
Materia medica, Vegetable
Medical research
Pharmaceutical research
Pharmacology
Plant extracts
Respiratory diseases
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Side effects
Sleep disorders
Viral diseases
Viral infections
Viruses
Japan
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
Ephedra Herb macromolecule condensed–tannin
ephedrine alkaloids-free Ephedra Herb extract
antiviral therapeutic
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Summary:We report for the first time that ephedrine alkaloids-free Ephedra Herb extract (EFE) directly inhibits the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro and that the addition of EFE to the culture medium before viral infection reduces virus titers in the culture supernatant of SARS-CoV-2, including those of variant strains, by more than 99%, 24 h after infection. The addition of Ephedra Herb macromolecule condensed-tannin, which is the main active ingredient responsible for the anticancer, pain suppression, and anti-influenza effects of EFE, similarly suppressed virus production in the culture supernatant by 99% before infection and by more than 90% after infection. Since EFE does not have the side effects caused by ephedrine alkaloids, such as hypertension, palpitations, and insomnia, our results showed the potential of EFE as a safe therapeutic agent against coronavirus disease 2019.
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ISSN:2076-2607
2076-2607
DOI:10.3390/microorganisms11020534