TITLE:
Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 by the Modified Green Tea Polyphenol EGCG-Stearate
AUTHORS:
Shivani N. Patel, Sandra D. Adams, Lee H. Lee
KEYWORDS:
HSV-1, EGCG-Stearate, EGCG, Antiviral, A549 Cells
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.9 No.12,
December
28,
2018
ABSTRACT:
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea
polyphenol possesses antioxidant,
antibacterial, anticancer and antiviral properties. EGCG-Stearate (EGCG-S) is of interest for this study because of its stability and lipophilic
properties. The chemical modification of EGCG-S increased its lipid solubility.
Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), a member of the family Herpesviridae, and Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily is a leading cause of human viral diseases in the United
States. In this study, 25 μM, 50 μM, 75 μM, and 100 μM of EGCG and EGCG-S were
used to carry out cytotoxicity, cell viability and cell proliferation assays to
determine the maximum non-cytotoxic concentrations on cultured A549 cells. The
results suggested that 75 μM of EGCG and EGCG-S is the appropriate
concentration to further study the effect on the infection of HSV-1 in A549
cells. Infectivity, antiviral, and inverted microscopy assays were performed to
study the effects of EGCG and EGCG-S on HSV-1 infection. An antiviral assay was
performed using luminescence and it indicated that EGCG-S treated HSV-1 showed
up to 90% inhibition. Confocal microscopy images further supported the
inhibitory effects of 75 μM EGCG-S on HSV-1 infection in A549 cells. The
long-term goal of this research is to use EGCG-S as a possible novel topical
therapeutic treatment to limit the spread of HSV-1 infections.