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ABSTRACT This study was conducted to quantify the antioxidant and anti-viral activities of Capsicum annuum methanolic extracts. The extract of Capsicum annuum was prepared by maceration method and the total polyphenolic and flavonoids contents were determined using a spectrophotometric method. The antiradical scavenging property and the maximum nontoxic concentration of the extract was determined using DPPH assay and MTT method, respectively. Serial concentrations of the extract not exceed the maximum nontoxic concentration were used against Vero cells for anti-HSV-1 and ant-HSV-2 effects by plaque assay. The results of the phytochemical analysis showed that the extract has high polyphenolic content while has relative low flavonoids contents.
In the antiradical scavenging property test the extract showed at 64.1 µg/ml 50% DPPH radical scavenging activity and in the MTT assay the extract has relatively low cytotoxicity where the IC50 value of extract against Vero cells was 1078.69 µg/ml. Furthermore, the extract exhibited a considerable anti-HSV-1 and anti-HSV-2 activities at the concentration of 25 µg/ml. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the methanolic extract of Capsicum annuum could be used in combination with standard drug to treat herpes infection.
Key words Capsicum annuum, Herpes simplex virus type-1, Herpes simplex virus type-2, Antioxidant, Antiviral.
INTRODUCTION Natural products and medicinal herbs have demonstrated to be a principle source of forefront molecules and many plant extracts as crude or an active ingredient with antiviral activity have been documented (Alvarez et al., 2015; Visintini Jaime et al., 2013). Capsicum is a genus belongs to family Solanaceae or nightshades that are an economically important family of flowering plants. Capsicum is highly rich in vitamins A, B, C and E and also contains many minerals such as molybdenum, potassium and manganese. According to Levy et al. (1995) and Szolcsanyi (2004), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of violaxanthin (C40H56O4), capsaicinoids (C18H27O3N), lutein (C40H56O2), β-cryptoxanthin (C40H56O) and β-carotene (C40H56) in Capsicum fruits.
Furthermore, Liu et al. (2013) found three capsaicinoids like capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin and nordihydrocapsaicin in extracts of Capsicum annuum. In folk medicine, Capsicum is used to relief neuralgia, rheumatic disorders and non-allergic rhinitis and as irritant in lumbago. Moreover, Capsicum has been shown to have an antimicrobial activity inhibiting the growth of gram positive and gram negative bacteria such as Staphyllococcus sp., and Escherichia...