Publications and Research
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-23-2024
Abstract
Efficacy of Ferula L. Species Extracts from Tajikistan Against Influenza Viruses One of the challenges facing both the domestic and international pharmaceutical industries is the limited selection and suboptimal efficacy of available antiviral drugs. The high mutational variability of influenza viruses contributes to rapid acquisition of drug resistance, which diminishes or nullifies the effectiveness of existing therapies, thereby necessitating the exploration for novel therapeutics. This study aimed to assess the antiviral activities of three species of the genus Ferula— indigenous to the Republic of Tajikistan—against influenza strains A/Vladivostok/2/09 (H1N1) and A/Almaty/8/98 (H3N2). The investigation revealed that phytochemical constituents—specifically, root gum, seed juice, and ethanol extracts—from the endemic species F. violacea and F. kuhistanica demonstrated a range of EC50 values from 0.38 to 5.50 μg/mL against the tested influenza viruses, outperforming standard antiviral medications. Remarkably, the seed extract from F. violacea exhibited an EC50 value against the H3N2 strain that was 81.8 times more effective than Tamiflu. Analysis of the selectivity index (SI) revealed that the root gum from F. violacea was highly effective against both strains of influenza. While the seed juice and ethanol extract showed heightened activity particularly against the H3N2 strain, their chemotherapeutic effectiveness against the H1N1 strain was notably lower. Conversely, the root gum from F. kuhistanica demonstrated high efficacy against the H1N1 strain but reduced efficacy against the H3N2 strain. The SI value for the root gum from F. gigantea was significantly low, approximating unity. Further analysis indicated that extracts from both aerial and underground parts of F. violacea and F. kuhistanica displayed superior anti-influenza activity against the H1N1 strain compared to Tamiflu. Our findings suggest that species within the Ferula genus, particularly F. violacea and F. kuhistanica, which are native to Tajikistan and Central Asia, respectively, exhibit significant antiviral properties. These results highlight the potential of these species as valuable sources for developing novel antiviral drugs with enhanced efficacy.
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Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons, Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy Commons
Comments
Suggested citation: Satorov, S., S. Mavlonazarova, A. P. Bogoyavlenskiy, S. D. Yusufi and V. Dushenkov (2024). "Efficacy of Ferula L. species extracts from Tajikistan against influenza viruses." Afr. J. B.Sc. 6(9): 3254-3268.
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