Antiherpetic Activities of Natural Quercitrin Alone and in Combinations with Nucleoside Antiherpetic Agents

천연 Quercitrin의 항허피스바이러스작용과 Nucleoside계 항허피스바이러스제와의 병용효과

In order to find less toxic antiherpetic agents, antiviral activities of quercitrin against two strains of pathogenic viruses such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) were determined in Vero cells using plaque reduction assay in vitro. Quercitrin showed a concentration-dependent decrease in plaque formation of HSV-1 and HSV-2. It also exhibited more potent antiherpetic activity on HSV-1 with 50% effective concentration (EC$_{50}$) of 20.4 $\mu$g/ml than on HSV-2 with EC$_{50}$ of 30.4 $\mu$g/ml. The combined antiherpetic effects of quercitrin with nucleoside antiherpetic agents, acyclovir and vidarabine, were examined on the multiplication of these two strains of herpesviruses in Vero cells by the combination assay. The results of combination assay were evaluated by the combination index (CI) that was calculated by the multiple drug effect analysis. The combinations of quercitrin with acyclovir and vidarabine on HSV-1 showed more potent synergism with CI values of 0.27-0.81 for 50%, 70%, 90% effective levels than those on HSV-2 with CI values of 1.03~2.20..20.