Plant extracts from Cameroonian medicinal plants strongly inhibit hepatitis C virus infection in vitro

Borris Galani (1, 2) , Marie-Emmanuelle Sahuc (3) , Frederic Njayou (1) , Gaspard Deloison (3) , Pierre Mkounga (1) , William Feudjou (1) , Priscille Brodin (3) , Yves Rouillé (3) , Augustin Nkengfack (1) , Paul Fewou Moundipa (1) , Karin Séron (3)

1 University of Yaoundé [Cameroun]
2 UN - Université de Ngaoundéré/University of Ngaoundéré [Cameroun]
3 CIIL - Centre d’Infection et d’Immunité de Lille - INSERM U 1019 - UMR 9017 - UMR 8204

According to some recent studies, Cameroon is one of the sub-Saharan African countries most affected by hepatitis C, with low access to the standard therapy based on the combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. A first ethnobotanical survey, conducted in the Western region of Cameroon, reported the use of several medicinal plants in traditional medicine for the healing of liver-related disorders. Crude organic extracts of five plants surveyed were prepared and their effect against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection investigated. The HCV JFH1 strain cell culture system HCVcc was used. The antiviral activity was quantified by immunofluorescent labeling of HCV E1 envelope protein at 30 h post-infection in the presence of the plant extracts. Active compounds were then tested in time course infection experiments. Dose-response and cellular toxicity assays were also determined. Three extracts, methanol extracts from roots of Trichilia dregeana, stems of Detarium microcarpum and leaves of Phragmanthera capitata, showed anti-HCV activity, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 16.16, 1.42, and 13.17 μg/mL, respectively. Huh-7 cells were incubated with the extracts for 72 h and it appears that T. dregeana extract is not toxic up to 200 μg/mL, D. microcarpum up to 100 μg/mL and P. capitata up to 800 μg/mL. All the three extracts showed a strong inhibition of HCV entry and no effect on replication or secretion. Taken together, these results showed that extracts from Cameroonian medicinal plants are promising sources of anti-HCV agents.

Mots clés: entry inhibitor; hepatitis C; natural compounds; plant extract; traditional medicine

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]; Virologie; Pharmacologie

Borris Galani, Marie-Emmanuelle Sahuc, Frederic Njayou, Gaspard Deloison, Pierre Mkounga, et al.. Plant extracts from Cameroonian medicinal plants strongly inhibit hepatitis C virus infection in vitro. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2015, 6, pp.488. ⟨10.3389/fmicb.2015.00488⟩. ⟨hal-02104509⟩