Abstract

ASSESSMENT OF ANTI-VIRAL EFFICACY OF POLYHERBAL AYURVEDIC TOOTHPASTE AGAINST HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS (HSV-1)

Amit Sirdesai, Jyoti Singh*, Dr. Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Dr. Ranjan Mitra, Amit Gupta

.

Abstract

Herpes is a common disease that occurs due to infection by Herpes Simplex Virus (Type-1) (HSV-1) which infects the oral cavity. Oral herpes may be life threatening in people who are immunocompromised. Conventional treatment protocols for oro-facial HSV infections include over-the-counter creams such as docosanol and pharmaceutical anti-viral agents such as acyclovir. However, frequent use of these treatments results in emergence of resistant virus. Thus, there exists a need for a herb based treatment which is a natural alternative and can be helpful in avoiding the risk of developing drug resistance that exists with single-chemical agents. In accordance with the same, Dabur Dant Rakshak Paste, the test substance, was assessed for its efficacy against HSV-1 virus. Dabur Dant Rakshak Paste is a polyherbal ayurvedic toothpaste preparation that comprises of herbs selected on the basis of their effects documented in ayurvedic texts. The anti-viral efficacy of the test substance was evaluated by Virucidal activity assay against 10TCID50 virus challenge dose of HSV-1. The test substance, after a contact time of 2 mins and 20 μg/mL concentration, exhibited 3.04 log reduction against HSV-1 virus challenge dose of 10TCID50 (Virus-3.71 TCID50). In conclusion, the data demonstrated that Dabur Dant Rakshak Paste reduced 99.9% of HSV-1 Enveloped Virus as against untreated Virus control.

Keywords: Herpes simplex virus-1, HSV-1, Anti-viral activity, Dabur Dant Rakshak toothpaste, Ayurveda, Natural alternative.