In vitro Assessment of the Antiviral Activity of Medicinal Plant Extracts Against Dengue Virus Serotype 2 (DENV-2)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62497/irabcs.131Keywords:
Dengue virus, medicinal plants, antiviral activity, phytochemicals, Curcuma long, in vitro assayAbstract
Background: Dengue virus infection remains a significant global health challenge with limited antiviral treatment options.
Objective: To evaluate the antiviral potential of selected medicinal plant extracts against dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) through phytochemical screening and in vitro assays.
Methodology: This descriptive, in vitro experimental study was conducted over one year (August 2023–July 2024) at the University of Poonch Rawalakot. Ten medicinal plants traditionally used for febrile and viral illnesses in Pakistan were selected and authenticated. Plant extracts were prepared using methanol, ethanol, and aqueous solvents and screened for key phytochemicals including flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids. Cytotoxicity on Vero cells was assessed by MTT assay to determine CC₅₀ values. Non-toxic concentrations of extracts were evaluated for antiviral activity against DENV-2 using Plaque Reduction or Virus Yield Reduction Assays. IC₅₀ and Selectivity Index (SI) were calculated. Experiments were conducted in triplicate, and data analyzed using ANOVA with significance at p < 0.05.
Results: All plants contained various bioactive compounds; Curcuma longa showed the richest phytochemical profile. Curcuma longa exhibited the highest safety (CC₅₀ = 455 µg/mL) and antiviral efficacy (IC₅₀ = 38.20 µg/mL) with an SI of 11.91 and 82.34% viral inhibition. Andrographis paniculata, Azadirachta indica, Nigella sativa, and Phyllanthus niruri also demonstrated significant antiviral activity with SI values above 6. Dose-dependent viral inhibition was confirmed for these top five extracts.
Conclusion: Selected medicinal plants, particularly Curcuma longa, show promising antiviral activity against DENV-2 and merit further investigation for therapeutic development.
Downloads
References
Yang X, Quam MB, Zhang T, Sang S. Global burden for dengue and the evolving pattern in the past 30 years. Journal of travel medicine. 2021 Dec;28(8):taab146. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab146.
Zerfu B, Kassa T, Legesse M. Epidemiology, biology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of dengue virus infection, and its trend in Ethiopia: a comprehensive literature review. Tropical Medicine and Health. 2023 Feb 24;51(1):11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-023-00504-0
Chawla P, Yadav A, Chawla V. Clinical implications and treatment of dengue. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine. 2014 Mar 1;7(3):169-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1995-7645(14)60016-X.
Murray NE, Quam MB, Wilder-Smith A. Epidemiology of dengue: past, present and future prospects. Clinical epidemiology. 2013 Aug 20:299-309. https://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S34440.
Tayal, A., Kabra, S.K. & Lodha, R. Management of Dengue: An Updated Review. Indian J Pediatr 90, 168–177 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-022-04394-8
Tully D, Griffiths CL. Dengvaxia: The world’s first vaccine for prevention of secondary dengue. Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy. 2021 May;9:25151355211015839. https://doi.org/10.1177/25151355211015839.
Ganguly G, Sahoo T, Ghosh S, Gupta A, Nayak A, Mojamel SK, Sahabuddin M. Emerging Interventions & Therapies For Effective Dengue Management. vaccine.;4:5. DOI: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.IJP.12(2).37-57.
Abd Kadir SL, Yaakob H, Mohamed Zulkifli R. Potential anti-dengue medicinal plants: a review. Journal of natural medicines. 2013 Oct;67:677-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-013-0767-y.
Akwayamai JJ, Ahmed MU, Tirah G, Samuel K, Usman WA, Bulus H. A review of medicinal plants with anti-dengue virus activity. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2022;2(2):1-1. DOI :10.24018/pharma.2022.2.2.20
Loaiza-Cano V, Monsalve-Escudero LM, Filho CD, Martinez-Gutierrez M, Sousa DP. Antiviral role of phenolic compounds against dengue virus: A review. Biomolecules. 2020 Dec 24;11(1):11. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11010011.
Lee MF, Wu YS, Poh CL. Molecular mechanisms of antiviral agents against dengue virus. Viruses. 2023 Mar 8;15(3):705. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15030705.
Kaushik S, Kaushik S, Sharma V, Yadav J. Antiviral and therapeutic uses of medicinal plants and their derivatives against dengue viruses. Pharmacognosy Reviews. 2018 Jul 1;12(24). https://phcogrev.com/sites/default/files/PhcogRev_2018_12_24_177.pdf.
Dhiman M, Sharma L, Dadhich A, Dhawan P, Sharma MM. Traditional knowledge to contemporary medication in the treatment of infectious disease dengue: a review. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2022 Mar 14;13:750494. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.750494
Ichsyani M, Ridhanya A, Risanti M, Desti H, Ceria R, Putri DH, Sudiro TM, Dewi BE. Antiviral effects of Curcuma longa L. against dengue virus in vitro and in vivo. InIOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 2017 Dec 1 (Vol. 101, No. 1, p. 012005). IOP Publishing. DOI 10.1088/1755-1315/101/1/012005.
Ali-Seyed M, Vijayaraghavan K. Dengue virus infections and anti-dengue virus activities of Andrographis paniculata. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine. 2020 Feb 1;13(2):49-55. DOI: 10.4103/1995-7645.275412.
Dwivedi VD, Bharadwaj S, Afroz S, Khan N, Ansari MA, Yadava U, Tripathi RC, Tripathi IP, Mishra SK, Kang SG. Anti-dengue infectivity evaluation of bioflavonoid from Azadirachta indica by dengue virus serine protease inhibition. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. 2021 Mar 4;39(4):1417-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/07391102.2020.1734485
Maideen NM, Hadda TB, Almalki FA, Laarousi H, Soliman SS, Kawsar SM. Black seeds (Nigella sativa) for the management of Dengue viral disease: POM analyses for the identification of new antiviral pharmacophore sites. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3163496/v1.
Martins IC, Ricardo RC, Santos NC. Dengue, West Nile, and Zika Viruses: potential novel antiviral biologics drugs currently at discovery and preclinical development stages. Pharmaceutics. 2022 Nov 20;14(11):2535. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14112535.
Ghildiyal R, Prakash V, Chaudhary VK, Gupta V, Gabrani R. Phytochemicals as antiviral agents: recent updates. Plant-derived bioactives: production, properties and therapeutic applications. 2020:279-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1761-7_12
Downloads
Published
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Atta ur Rehman, Dr.Syed Anis Ali Jafri, Nasir Anwar , Syeda Okasha Javed (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright to their work published in the IRABCS journal under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).