Antiviral activity and cytotoxicity of the lipophilic extracts of various edible plants and their fatty acids

The lipophilic extracts of a number of edible plants, including Anthemis tinctoria var. tinctoria, A. austriaca, Carduus acanthoides, C. nutans, Cirsium hypoleucum, Cynara scolymus (Asteraceae), Silene vulgaris (Caryophyllaceae), Ajuga chamaepitys ssp. chia var. ciliata (Lamiaceae), Lappula barbata (Boraginaceae), Rumex obtusifolius ssp. subalpinus (Polygonaceae), Digitalis lamarckii (Scrophulariaceae), and Sedum hispanicum (Crassulaceae) were tested against DNA virus Herpes simplex (HSV) and RNA virus Parainfluenza (PI-3) using Madin-Darby bovine kidney and Vero cell lines, and also analysed by capillary gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Most of the extracts exerted quite appreciable antiviral effect against both viruses, as compared to acyclovir and oseltamivir. Cytotoxicity of the extracts was also determined as maximum non-toxic concentrations (MNTCs). Most of the extracts were found to be rich in saturated fatty acids. No correlation was found between antiviral activity and fatty acid contents of the extracts.