Evaluation of the Cytotoxic and Antiviral Activities of Partially Purified Naja haje haje Venom

Journal Article

Al-Misned, Elsayed EA, Hamed A. El-Serehy, Walaa H. Salama and Fahad . 2014

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: J. Pure & Appl. Microbiol
• رقم العدد: 1
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 8
• الصفحات: 143-147

مستخلص المنشور

Since their introduction, nucleoside analogues such as acyclovir are considered to be effective antiviral drugs against viral infections caused by herpes simplex. However, with the emergence of acyclovir-resistance, there is a growing need to develop an alternative antiherpetic drug. Within such context, snake venom could serve as a potential lead. In this study, the antiviral properties of Naja haje haje(N. haje) venom was evaluated against herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1, 2) in vitro. HSV-infected Vero cells and cell-free virus suspensions were treated with N. hajecrude venom phospholipase A2 (PLA2) as well as 3 different fractions, and the virus yield and infectivity were then quantified by direct plaque assay. The results of the present study showed that N. haje venom at a concentration of 1 µg/ml resulted in 72.1% inhibition of plaque of HSV-1 and 67.5% inhibition against HSV-2, while PLA2 and fraction 1 at a concentration of 25 µg/ml caused 18.4 and 56.3% inhibition against HSV-1 and 15.2 and 52.2 % against HSV-2, respectively. On the other hand, fraction 3 at a concentration of 150 µg/ml resulted in 61.1% inhibition against HSV-1 and 65.9% plaque inhibition against HSV-2.N. haje venom inhibited both HSV-1 and 2 and showed some virucidal activity. These properties suggest that this venom could provide advantages as a topical prophylactic/therapeutic agent for HSV infections