Abstracts Category : Other

Effects of Myrrh on HSV-1 Using Plaque Assay

by Badrieah Mohammad Alamri

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a highlyinfective human pathogen which infects a wide range of populationin North America and worldwide. HSV-1 infection has two phases,lytic and latent. Recurrence of HSV-1 is a major challenge toclinicians to control the infection especially in immune depletedindividuals. Acyclovir (ACV) is an antiviral drug used to treatHSV-1 infection. Low solubility of ACV in water, mutation of viralthymidine kinase, and mutation of viral DNA polymerase are majorproblems that cause usage limitations of ACV. Myrrh has been usedas an analgesic and anti-inflammatory natural product in middleeastern countries for centuries. Recently Myrrh has shown apromising therapeutic action against fungal and parasiticinfections. In the current study, low concentrations of Myrrhtreatment increased cell survival of HSV-1 infected Vero cells.Prolonged exposure to Myrrh was found to be toxic to viable cells.Myrrh treatment of HSV-1 infected Vero cells was compared with ACVtreatment of HSV-1 infected Vero cell. Myrrh treatment increasedcell survival of infected Vero cells, similar to the effect of ACVtreatment. These results provide evidence that Myrrh exertsantiviral effects against herpes virus infection.Advisors/Committee Members: Bigley, Nancy (Committee Chair).