Comparative anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 and chemical profiling of Thymus capitatus and Artemisia herba-alba collected from North Africa

• Published in: Natural Product Research Vol. 37; no. 23; pp. 4038 - 4041
• Main Authors: Mohyeldin, Mohamed M., Tarbah, Ahmaida F.S., El-Deeb, Nehal M., Ghazy, Nabila M., El-Hawiet, Amr
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 02.12.2023
• Subjects: Artemisia herba-alba; GC/MS; herpes simplex virus; LC/MS; Thymus capitatus
• ISSN: 1478-6419; 1478-6427
• DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2022.2164280

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can infect millions of people worldwide causing mild to life-threating infections. The current study demonstrates the first comparative anti-HSV type 1 activity and phytochemical investigation of Artemisia herba-alba and Thymus capitatus collected from Egypt and Libya. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis allowed the identification of 56 and 38 compounds in the Egyptian and Libyan Artemisia herba-alba ethanolic extracts, respectively, in addition to 46 and 50 compounds in the Egyptian and Libyan Thymus capitatus ethanolic extracts, respectively. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of their corresponding essential oils revealed the presence of 15, 17, 17 and 8 compounds in Egyptian and Libyan Artemisia herba-alba and Thymus capitatus, respectively. The major chemical classes of the identified compounds were phenolic acids, flavonoids and oxygenated monoterpenes. Evaluation of the anti-HSV1 activities of the studied extracts showed that the Egyptian Thymus capitatus ethanolic extracts were the most potent extract with more than 200-fold reduction in the viral PFU.