Journal of Applied Pharmacy
Open Access

Abstract

IN-VITRO ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY OF PISTACIA CHINENSIS FLAVONOIDS AGAINST HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV)

Khaled Rashed, Noémie Calland, Gaspard Deloison, Yves Rouillé, Karin Séron

The present study was designed to evaluate anti-HCV activity of Pistacia chinensis aerial parts and identify the responsible bioactive constituents of anti-hepatitis ethnomedicinal plant P. chinensis methanol 80% extract. This has led to the isolation and characterization of gallic acid and eight flavonoids, apigenin, diosmetin, myricetin, apigenin 7-O-β-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-β- glucoside myricetin 3-O-α-rhamnoside, myricetin 3-O-β-glucuronide and quercetin 3-O-β- glucoside-7-O-α-rhamnoside from the plant, using various chromatographic procedures and the interpretation of spectral data in comparison with already existing data reported in the literature. Methanol 80% extract of P. chinensis and some isolates were tested for their anti-HCV activity using HCV cell culture (HCVcc) system. The results have shown that diosmetin and apigenin, significantly reduce HCV infection while myricetin sugars (myricetin 3-O-α-rhamnoside and myricetin 3-O-β-glucuronide) had no significant effect on HCV infection. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of diosmetin and apigenin were calculated to be 42.5 μM and 39.9 μM respectively. However, cell viability assays demonstrated that apigenin was toxic in cell culture in the same range of concentrations that show HCV inhibition. This is the first time report for anti-HCV activity of diosmetin isolated from P. chinensis and this could become a molecular template for the development of new anti-HCV drugs.