Hong Kong Med J 2014;20(Suppl 4):S37-41
Antiviral activity of Chinese medicine–derived phytochemicals against avian influenza A (H5N1) virus
VEC Ooi, PKS Chan, LCM Chiu, SSM Sun , HNC Wong
Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
 
 
1. A screening platform was established to investigate antiviral agents from extracted herbal ingredients against infectious viruses, including avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.
2. More than 30 antiviral herbal fractions and compounds were screened for antiviral activity against H5N1 virus. Three proteins isolated from Pandanus amaryllifolius (PYM2), Narcissus tazett, and Polygonatum odoratum (POL) were identified to have most prominent anti-H5N1 potency. The efficacy of these proteins as antiviral products was investigated, as was molecular cloning and transgenic expression of both PYM2 and POL in bacteria (Escherichia coli) and POL in rice plants.
3. The proteins isolated from POL and the soluble seed protein from Gt1/SPPOL/POL transgenic rice showed a significant effect on inhibiting virus infection. This study provides the scientific basis for the use of anti-H5N1 ingredients as chicken feed.