Antiviral activity of ginsenosides against coxsackievirus B3, enterovirus 71, and human rhinovirus 3.
BACKGROUND
Ginsenosides are the major components responsible for the biochemical and pharmacological actions of ginseng, and have been shown to have various biological activities. In this study, we investigated the antiviral activities of seven ginsenosides [protopanaxatriol (PT) type: Re, Rf, and Rg2; protopanaxadiol (PD) type: Rb1, Rb2, Rc, and Rd)] against coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), enterovirus 71 (EV71), and human rhinovirus 3 (HRV3).


METHODS
Assays of antiviral activity and cytotoxicity were evaluated by the sulforhodamine B method using the cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction assay.


RESULTS
The antiviral assays demonstrated that, of the seven ginsenosides, the PT-type ginsenosides (Re, Rf, and Rg2) possess significant antiviral activities against CVB3 and HRV3 at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. Among the PT-type ginsenosides, only ginsenoside Rg2 showed significant anti-EV71 activity with no cytotoxicity to cells at 100 μg/mL. The PD-type ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, and Rd), by contrast, did not show any significant antiviral activity against CVB3, EV71, and HRV3, and exhibited cytotoxic effects to virus-infected cells. Notably, the antiviral efficacies of PT-type ginsenosides were comparable to those of ribavirin, a commonly used antiviral drug.


CONCLUSIONS
Collectively, our findings suggest that the ginsenosides Re, Rf, and Rg2 have the potential to be effective in the treatment of CVB3, EV71, and HRV3 infection.
College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
Jae-Hyoung
JH
Song
Department of Beauty Science, Kwangju Women's University, Gwangju, Korea.
Hwa-Jung
HJ
Choi
Natural Medicine Research Center, Korea Research Institute Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.
Hyuk-Hwan
HH
Song
College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
Eun-Hye
EH
Hong
College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
Bo-Ra
BR
Lee
Natural Medicine Research Center, Korea Research Institute Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.
Sei-Ryang
SR
Oh
Targeted Medicine Research Center, Korea Research Institute Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.
Kwangman
K
Choi
Division of Vaccine Research, Center for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.
Sang-Gu
SG
Yeo
Division of Vaccine Research, Center for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.
Yong-Pyo
YP
Lee
Targeted Medicine Research Center, Korea Research Institute Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.
Sungchan
S
Cho
College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
Hyun-Jeong
HJ
Ko
CVB3; EV71; HRV3; antiviral activity; ginsenosides