Cucumis melo pectin as potential candidate to control herpes simplex virus infection

The herpes simplex virus, also known as HSV, is an important human pathogen. Acyclovir (ACV) is the first-line antiviral for the treatment of HSV infections; nevertheless HSV resistance to ACV has been increasingly reported and, therefore, search for alternative drugs have been encouraged. Herein, the effect of Cucumis melo sulfated pectin (SPCm) was evaluated in the HSV-1 infection. Pectin cytotoxicity and its antiherpetic action were determined by assays of MTT and plaque reduction, respectively. The SPCm concentration that reduced the cell viability by 50% (CC50) was 1440 mu g/mL, while the concentration that reduced PFU in 50% (IC50) was 6 mu g/mL against ACV-sensitive (KOS) strain and 12 it g/mL for ACV-resistant (AR-29) strain. The pectin showed high selectivity index (SI) for both viral strains. Therefore, we suggest that SPCm has been effective for HSV-1, strenghten by viral protein and DNA syntheses inhibition. In conclusion, we have found that SPCm is a promising alternative compound to control HSV infection.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the inhibitory effect of Cucumis melo sulfated pectin on herpes simplex virus-1 infection, showing a high selectivity anti-viral action against both sensitive and resistant strains. The results suggest that SPCm is a promising alternative compound to control HSV infection.