title: Screening, isolation and optimization of anti-white spot syndrome virus drug derived from marine plants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To screen, isolate and optimize anti-white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) drug derived from various marine floral ecosystems and to evaluate the efficacy of the same in host-pathogen interaction model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty species of marine plants were subjected to Soxhlet extraction using water, ethanol, methanol and hexane as solvents. The 120 plant isolates thus obtained were screened for their in vivo anti-WSSV property in Litopenaeus vannamei. By means of chemical processes, the purified anti-WSSV plant isolate, MP07X was derived. The drug was optimized at various concentrations. Viral and immune genes were analysed using reverse transcriptase PCR to confirm the potency of the drug.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine plant isolates exhibited significant survivability in host. The drug MP07X thus formulated showing 85% survivability in host. The surviving shrimps were nested PCR negative at the end of the 15 d experimentation. The lowest concentration of MP07X required intramuscularly for virucidal property was 10 mg/mL. The oral dosage of 1 000 mg/kg body weight/day survived at the rate of 85%. Neither VP28 nor ie 1 was expressed in the test samples at 42nd hour and 84th hour post viral infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The drug MP07X derived from Rhizophora mucronata is a potent anti-WSSV drug.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai - 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Somnath
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai - 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Upasana
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Parangipettai - 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Thangavel
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Balasubramanian
authors.affiliation: National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Canal Ring Road, P.O. Dilkusha, Lucknow 226002, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Punyabrata
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Das
keywords: Anti-WSSV; Litopenaeus vannamei; MP07X; Marine plants; Shrimps; White spot syndrome virus