Interferon-mediated antiviral activities of Angelica tenuissima Nakai and its active components

Prasanna Weeratunga, Md Bashir Uddin, Myun Soo Kim, Byeong Hoon Lee, Tae Hwan Kim, Ji Eun Yoon, Jin Yeul Ma, Hongik Kim, Jong Soo Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Angelica tenuissima Nakai is a widely used commodity in traditional medicine. Nevertheless, no study has been conducted on the antiviral and immune-modulatory properties of an aqueous extract of Angelica tenuissima Nakai. In the present study, we evaluated the antiviral activities and the mechanism of action of an aqueous extract of Angelica tenuissima Nakai both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, an effective dose of Angelica tenuissima Nakai markedly inhibited the replication of Influenza A virus (PR8), Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Coxsackie virus, and Enterovirus (EV-71) on epithelial (HEK293T/HeLa) and immune (RAW264.7) cells. Such inhibition can be described by the induction of the antiviral state in cells by antiviral, IFNrelated gene induction and secretion of IFNs and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In vivo, Angelica tenuissima Nakai treated BALB/c mice displayed higher survivability and lower lung viral titers when challenged with lethal doses of highly pathogenic influenza A subtypes (H1N1, H5N2, H7N3, and H9N2). We also found that Angelica tenuissima Nakai can induce the secretion of IL-6, IFN-λ, and local IgA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of Angelica tenuissima Nakai treated mice, which correlating with the observed prophylactic effects. In HPLC analysis, we found the presence of several compounds in the aqueous fraction and among them; we evaluated antiviral properties of ferulic acid. Therefore, an extract of Angelica tenuissima Nakai and its components, including ferulic acid, play roles as immunomodulators and may be potential candidates for novel anti-viral/anti-influenza agents.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)57-70
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Microbiology
Volume54
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Angelica tenuissima Nakai
  • anti-influenza effect
  • antiviral effect
  • ferulic acid
  • herbal medicine

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

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