Research - Antiviral
Antiviral Activity of Cinchona officinalis, a Homeopathic Medicine, against COVID-19
Somasundaram Arumugam, Kumaravel Vadivel, Devendra Kumar Dhaked, Vani Sai Prasanna, Manoj Limbraj Yellurkar, Pamelika Das,
Raja Manoharan, Austin Jose Thomas, Lalith Singh, Subhas Singh, Ravichandiran Velayutham
Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially fatal disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Several studies have shown that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) significantly inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infections in vitro.
Objective Since the phytoconstituents of Cinchona officinalis (CO) are similar to those of HCQ, the objective of this study was to test the antiviral potential of different homeopathic formulations of CO.
Methods An analysis of the molecular composition of CO was carried out using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, followed by a detailed docking study. The constituents of CO were docked against various targets of SARS-CoV-2, and the binding potential of the phytoconstituents was compared and quantified. The ligand with the lowest Glide docking score is considered to have the best binding affinity. The cytotoxicity of several homeopathic formulations, including CO mother tincture (CO-MT), was also checked on VeroE6 cells. A known antiviral, remdesivir, was used as a positive control for the in vitro assays to evaluate the effects of CO-MT against SARS-CoV-2-infected VeroE6 cells.
Results Molecular docking studies showed that constituents of CO exhibited binding potential to various targets of SARS-CoV-2, including Mpro, PLpro, RdRp, nucleocapsid protein, ACE2 (in host) and spike protein. Quinoline, one of the constituents of CO, can potentially bind the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Quinic acid showed better binding capabilities with Mpro, PLpro RdRp, nucleocapsid protein and ACE2 (allosteric site) than other constituents. Quinidine exhibited better binding to ACE2. Compared to HCQ, other phytoconstituents of CO had the equivalent potential to bind the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, nucleocapsid protein, Mpro, PLpro and spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. In vitro assays showed that homeopathic CO-MT was not cytotoxic and that CO-MT and remdesivir respectively caused 89% and 99% inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection in VeroE6 cells.
Conclusion Based on this in silico and in vitro evidence, we propose CO-MT as a promising antiviral medicine candidate for treating COVID-19. In vivo investigation is required to clarify the therapeutic potential of CO-MT in COVID-19.
Source : Journal Homeopathy
Link to Full Article
Effectiveness and tolerability of a homoeopathic remedy compared with conventional therapy for mild viral infections
A . R A B E , 1 M . W EI S E R , 2 P . K L E I N 3
Gaggenau,1 Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Baden-Baden,2 d.s.h. statistical services GmbH, Rohrbach,3 Germany
"Treatments for mild viral infections are usually directed at providing symptomatic relief. The effectiveness of the homoeopathic remedy Gripp-HeelÒ was compared with that of conventional treatments in a prospective, observational cohort study in 485 patients with mild viral infections and symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, cough or sore throat. Practitioners specialised in homoeopathy or conventional treatment, or practised both to similar extents. As evaluated by the practitioners, the homoeopathic therapy was effective to similar or greater degree than the conventional therapies: 67.9% of patients were considered asymptomatic at the end of Gripp-HeelÒ therapy vs. 47.9% of patients in the control group. Practitioners judged homoeopathic treatments as ‘successful’ in 78.1% of cases vs. 52.2% for conventional therapies. Tolerability and compliance were good in both treatment groups, with the verdict ‘very good’ given for 88.9% of patients in the homoeopathic group vs. 38.8% in the conventional treatment group."
Source : Dr. Nancy Malik Documents
Link to Full Article
Antiviral activity of Engystol® and Gripp-Heel®: an in-vitro assessment
Kerstin Roeska*, Bernd Seilheimer
Abstract
Background: Infections with respiratory viruses can activate the innate immune response - an important host
defence mechanism in the early stage of viral infection. Interferon (IFN) release, triggered by virus infection, is an important factor in establishing an antiviral state, where IFN activation occurs prior to the onset of the adaptive immune response. The two ultra-low-dose combination medications, Engystol® and Gripp-Heel®, have documented efficacy for the treatment of the respiratory infections. However, the underlying antiviral mechanisms remain elusive.
Methods: It was the goal to investigate whether Engystol® and Gripp-Heel® display antiviral activity in a
prophylactic treatment protocol (2, 24 and 48 h pre-incubation) using a plaque reduction assay and whether the medications affect the release of type 1 IFN in virus-susceptible cell lines and human peripheral blood
mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
Results: Both medications demonstrate prophylactic effect against viral respiratory virus replication. However, when the incubation was continued for up to 5 days, both medications exhibited a pronounced antiviral effect which was dependent on the pre-incubation time. Moreover, in co-stimulated HeLa cells as well as in activated PBMCs Gripp-Heel® and Engystol® demonstrated an increased type 1 IFN production.
Conclusions: Engystol® and Gripp-Heel® inhibited the replication of a variety of respiratory viruses. Additionally, we showed that pre-incubation affects the magnitude of the inhibitory effect differently for the various tested viruses. Both medications stimulate type 1 IFN release in different cell systems which suggests that Antiviral activity of their antiviral activity may be mediated possibly via modulation of the antiviral type 1 IFN host response.
Source : Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines 2010
Link to Full Article