title: Anti-hepatitis C virus activity of Acacia confusa extract via suppressing cyclooxygenase-2.
abstract: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality by chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) throughout the world. It is of tremendous importance to discover more effective and safer agents to improve the clinical treatment on HCV carriers. Here we report that the n-butanol-methanol extract obtained from Acacia confusa plant, referred as ACSB-M4, exhibited the inhibition of HCV RNA replication in the HCV replicon assay system, with an EC(50) value and CC(50)/EC(50) selective index (SI) of 5 ± 0.3 μg/ml and >100, respectively. Besides, ACSB-M4 showed antiviral synergy in combination with IFN-α and as HCV protease inhibitor (Telaprevir; VX-950) and polymerase inhibitor (2'-C-methylcytidine; NM-107) by a multiple linear logistic model and isobologram analysis. A complementary approach involving the overexpression of COX-2 protein in ACSB-M4-treated HCV replicon cells was used to evaluate the antiviral action at the molecular level. ACSB-M4 significantly suppressed COX-2 expression in HCV replicon cells. Viral replication was gradually restored if COX-2 was added simultaneously with ACSB-M4, suggesting that the anti-HCV activity of ACSB-M4 was associated with down-regulation of COX-2, which was correlated with the suppression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activation. ACSB-M4 may serve as a potential protective agent for use in the management of patients with chronic HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC. jclee@kmu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Jin-Ching
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wei-Chun
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shou-Fang
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chin-Kai
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Ching-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chiou
authors.forename: Fang-Rong
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shih-hsien
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Yang-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000045:Acacia / Q000737:chemistry*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D010936:Plant Extracts; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2