Authors: Xueling Shao, Lu Wang, Sydney W. Gu, Tinchun Chu, Stephen Hsu
Nutraceuticals have been a rich source of prophylactic and therapeutic benefits to humans against various diseases. Golden buckwheat (Fagopyrum dibotrys [F. dibotrys or F. dibityo]) has been used in Chinese traditional medicine and herbal medicine to treat inflammatory conditions. Extracts from the leaves and roots of the plant contain unique combinations of compounds that may have potential for future medications due to their anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and hepatoprotective properties. However, the potential antiviral activity of the plant extract has not been explored. The purpose of the current study is to investigate if Golden buckwheat or 5,7,3’,4’-tetrahydroxyflavan-3-ol C4-C8 dimer, the major compound of Golden buckwheat, possess antiviral activity against alcohol-resistant nonenveloped viruses such as norovirus and hepatitis A viruses. Methods used in the study include cytotoxicity assay (MTT assay), viral infection assays, and TCID50 assay. The results demonstrate that a single dose of both the extract of Golden buckwheat and 5,7,3’,4’-tetrahydroxyflavan-3-ol C4 -C8 dimer (åŒèšåŽŸçŸ¢ 车èŠç”˜å…ƒ in Chinese) are able to inhibit feline calicivirus (a surrogate for human norovirus) and human hepatitis A virus, when added either before viral infections or after viral infections without cytotoxicity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first discovery that Golden buckwheat and its major component 5,7,3’,4’-tetrahydroxyflavan3-ol C4-C8 dimer exhibit strong antiviral activities against nonenveloped viruses causing humans acute symptoms. As of today, there is no therapeutic method to treat norovirus or hepatitis A virus infection, these nutraceuticals may provide solutions for future prophylactic and therapeutic methods, pending future research and development.
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