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Screening for Antiviral Activity of Sweet Lemon Grass ( Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle) Fractions

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Abstract

A study was carried out to test the cytotoxicity and antiviral effects of sweet lemon grass ( Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle) fractions. A total of 51 fractions were obtained after two sequential runs of flash chromatography. Further fractionation on selected fractions by preparative Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) resulted in 40 sub fractions. The cytotoxicity towards Vero cells of the different fractions ranged from highly toxic (N3 and N29; 30 μg mL<sup>-1</SUP>) to considerably non toxic (N16, N17 and N19; 1 mg mL<sup>-1</SUP>). For antiviral activity test the cells were inoculated with 10 μL measles virus 1000 TCID<SUB>50 </SUB>and treated with 1.0 LC<SUB>50, </SUB> 0.1 LC<SUB>50 </SUB> or 0.01 LC<SUB>50</SUB> concentrations of each fraction. Most fractions protected cell death due to measles inoculation when compared with the untreated controls, but were less effective when compared to the control guanidine hydrochloride treatment of 0.1 mg mL<sup>-1</SUP>. Treatment of Vero cells with fractions at 0.1 LC<SUB>50</SUB> gave higher cell survival when compared to the other concentrations, which were 1.0 LC<SUB>50</SUB> or 0.01 LC<SUB>50</SUB>. At 0.1 LC<SUB>50</SUB>, the C. nardus fractions were most effective when cells (C) were treated with the fractions (F) before being inoculated with the virus (V), which was treatment {(C+F) + V}. Using this method, more fractions with higher efficacy (+++) was obtained when compared with the methods {(C+V) + F} or {C + (V+F)}. Similar, treatment of cell culture with sub fractions before virus inoculations showed better antiviral effect that treatment after viral inoculations. This suggests that fractions and sub fractions were more effective in protecting cells against entry of virus particles into inoculated cells than other phases in the viral replication.
... Citronellal, a monoterpene as shown in Fig. 1, primarily formed by plant secondary metabolism is found in essential oils from a variety of plant species, including Cymbopogon nardus, Cymbopogon winterianus, Cymbopogon citratus, and Cymbopogon jwarancusa [3], [4], [5]. Citronella oil, like many essential oils, has antimicrobial [5], antibacterial [6], antifungal [7], antioxidant [8], anti-inflammatory [9], antiviral [10], anthelmintic [11], anticonvulsant [12], wound healing property [13], and other properties. Furthermore, Reegan et al. [14] discovered that citronella essential oil (CEO) could repel mosquitos at concentrations ranging from 0.05% to 15% (w/v), either alone or in combination with other commercial or natural insect repellents [3]. ...
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Citronellal, a significant aldehyde monoterpene found in various kinds of Cymbopogon species (lemongrass), has multiple applications in aromatherapy tools, personal care items, non-toxic biopesticide and also as a natural insect repellant. Citronellal is the main ingredient that has the highest concentration in citronella essential oil (CEO). In this study, a quartz crystal microbalance sensor coated with highly selective molecularly imprinted polymer has been described for the detection of citronellal in different commercially available CEOs. The surface of the quartz crystal was modified by in situ casting of engineered citronellal imprinted copolymer of acrylonitrile and acrylic acid. Amongst all possible combinations of acrylates, this composition showed the best performance. The MIP material characterization and surface morphology were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The linear operating range of the proposed sensor was observed to be 10-600 ppm. The fabricated sensor yielded a high sensitivity of 0.100 Hz/ppm with a high correlation factor of 0.999. Furthermore, the fabricated sensor provided a high repeatability of 92.47% and reproducibility of 90.99%. A significant correlation of the sensor performance had been achieved concerning gas chromatographic analysis of commercially available CEO samples.
... The major chemical constituents are geraniol, citral, citronellal, and citronellol [16]. Studies have demonstrated the antiviral [17], antibacterial, and antifungal activities [18] of this oil. ...
Conference Paper
The focus of this study was to evaluate the effect of variation level of withering leaf on the bioactive compounds of fragrant lemongrass (Cymbopogon Nardus L.) as antioxidant and antibacterial agents. The study was conducted with 4 levels of leaf withering times, namely: fresh, 24, 48, and 72 hours. The observed parameters were colour, pH, phytochemical content, free radical trapping capacity (DPPH) and antibacterial activity. Antibacterial tests were done against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The data obtained were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and further test DMRT (Duncan Multiple Range Test). The phytochemical content of the extracts from all withering times were as follows: tannins, alkaloid, flavonoid, and steroid. The best results from this study were the 2 days of withering time which have value for pH (4), color L (52), a* (60), b* (-14), and antioxidant activity (44.37%). The extract had antibacterial activity, showed by inhibitory zone 11.53±2.09 mm for S aureus and 20.35±1.13 mm against to E Coli. MIC 250-500 µg/mL and MKC 300-600 µg/mL.
... Citronella grass oils is essential oils (volatile) that obtained from the steam distillation of stems, leaves and roots [3]. Numerous studies have been carried out that proved citronella grass essential oil has the ability as an anti-virus [4], anti-bacterial and anti-fungal [5]. Capoci et al., (2015) evaluated the in vitro effects of citronella extract (C. ...
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The citronella grass plants (Cymbopogon nardus L) grow flourish in Kefamenanu, Timor Tengah Utara Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Citronella grass essential oils can be obtained from the simple steam distillation of leaves as many as 0.48% (wt/vol). The chemicals contained in citronella grass essential oil will be greatly influenced by the environmental conditions such as weather, humidity, soil nutrition, water content and pests, so that the number of secondary metabolites produced by plants can also be vary in different regions. Therefore this study aims to look at the secondary metabolites content of citronella grass (C. nardus) essential oil from Kefamenanu by using instruments such as GC-MS, FTIR, and 1H-NMR, and to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The citronella grass (C. nardus) essential oil from Kefamenanu shows 7 detected components i.e., Citronellol (1.771%), Geraniol (82.053%), Geranyl acetate (3.630%), (E)-3,7-Dimethylocta-2,6-dienylethylcarbonate (3.567%), Cariophyllene (3.360%), Germacrene D (1.966%) and Naphthalene (3.653%). It has one major component which is geraniol that reach 82.053%. Among other reported sources so far, this is the higher geraniol concentration in a citronella essential oil. The citronella grass (C. nardus L) essential oil from Kefamenanu shows weak antibacterial activity against E. Coli, but moderate antibacterial activity against B. subtilis and S. aureus, and it has IC50 = 1.38 ± 0.04 µ g/mL which is stronger radical-scavenging capacity compared to quercetin (IC50 = 6.56 ± 0.06 µ g/mL).
... C. nardus L. (Poaceae), popularly known as citronella, is a grass cultivated in subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and America, including Brazil [88], The essential oil extracted from its leaves is commonly used in perfumes, the production of cosmetics, and as an insect repellent. Several studies have demonstrated the antiviral [89], antibacterial [90], and antifungal activities [91] of this oil. C. winterianus Jowitt (Poaceae) is an important aromatic plant cultivated in India and Brazil. ...
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The use of natural products to promote health is as old as human civilization. In recent years, the perception of natural products derived from plants as abundant sources of biologically active compounds has driven their exploitation towards the search for new chemical products that can lead to further pharmaceutical formulations. Candida fungi, being opportunistic pathogens, increase their virulence by acquiring resistance to conventional antimicrobials, triggering diseases, especially in immunosuppressed hosts. They are also pointed to as the main pathogens responsible for most fungal infections of the oral cavity. This increased resistance to conventional synthetic antimicrobials has driven the search for new molecules present in plant extracts, which have been widely explored as alternative agents in the prevention and treatment of infections. This review aims to provide a critical view and scope of the in vitro antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of several medicinal plants, revealing species with inhibition/reduction effects on the biofilm formed by Candida spp. in the oral cavity. The most promising plant extracts in fighting oral biofilm, given their high capacity to reduce it to low concentrations were the essential oils extracted from Allium sativum L., Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume. and Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf.
... C. citratus demonstrated antiviral activity against herpes simplex, dengue fever, herpes simplex (1 and 2). C. citratus is more potent in preventing the entry of viruses and interrupt with viral replication [51,52] . ...
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Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel life-threatening infectious respiratory disease and a pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that belongs to the coronavirus family. COVID 19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on 30 January 2020. The virus first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. An impaired immune response is one of the factors that play a role in its pathogenesis and results in poor outcomes of COVID-19 patients. Currently, there is no effective antiviral medication to prevent or treat COVID-19. There have been many studies on potential conventional medicines used as antivirals. However, the outcomes of these studies showed that the drug candidates were not significantly effective against the disease. Natural products from medicinal plants with known safety profiles are a promising source for the discovery of potential treatment. Currently, people believe that taking herbal immune boosters and related products can prevent and even successfully treat COVID-19. Such tropical plants with antiviral properties and immunomodulatory activities can be great sources of treatment for COVID-19 as well as being utilized as complementary to allopathic treatment to improve recovery and the quality of life of patients. This review discusses some medicinal plants, including Allium sativum, Allium cepa, Adansonia digitata, Azadirachta indica, Momordica charantia, Psidium guajava and Moringa oleifera which are considered for the treatment of COVID-19, coupled with the need for research institutions
... Essential oils such as citral, citronellal, geraniol, myrcene, nerol, farnesols, methyl heptenone, dipentene, eugenol methyl ether, cadinene, cadinol and limonene are also detected (Chanthai et al. 2012). It has been known that saponins, flavonoids and citral compounds show antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral and antifungal activities (Nakahara et al. 2013;Aini et al. 2006;De Toledo et al. 2016). The essential oils in lemongrass, i.e. citronellal and geraniol compounds, can be used as mosquito repellents due to their typical odor. ...
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In this work, indigenous knowledge of Indonesian medicinal plants and their preparation for traditional medicines in Semarang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, is investigated. This indigenous knowledge was incorporated into STEM-based teaching/learning as a meaningful aspect of science education in Indonesia. This indigenous knowledge was also scientifically correlated and its integration into STEM-based learning was evaluated. Field visits involving traditional medicine sellers and makers were conducted to gather information on Indonesian traditional medicines. A semi-structured interview technique was used. In addition, field observations were conducted to observe the process of preparing traditional medicines, along with literature studies on their ingredients and benefits. Twenty species of medicinal plants commonly used as herbs were investigated. The STEM approach was used descriptively in the data analysis. Comparative analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between STEM and indigenous knowledge of Indonesian traditional medicines. The correlation between the original knowledge in the community and scientific knowledge in the literature was analyzed to integrate this indigenous knowledge into STEM education and therefore to re-design the experiences in the teaching/learning process. This study showed that scientific concepts in the preparation of traditional medicines have important implications for indigenizing the science curriculum in Indonesia through an ethno-STEM-oriented teaching/learning approach.
... Traditionally, it was used for the treatment of headaches, flu, mental illness, fever, intestinal problems, toothaches, infectious diseases, fatigue, inflammation of the skin 9,10,11 . Besides, it possesses interesting pharmacological properties such as antiviral 12 , antibacterial activity 13 , and antifungal 14,15 . The plant is mainly exploited for its essential oil content. ...
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The present study aims for quantitative analysis of citronella essential oil followed by its antifungal evaluation on maize fungi. GC/MS analysis of Cymbopogon nardus essential oil indicated the presence of citronellal (22.15 %), citronellol (16.34 %), and geraniol (11.16 %) as major constituents. Saponification value, acid value and moisture content were 139.15 mg/g, 2.1 mg/g and 20 %, respectively. The essential oil and its isolated compounds were tested for their antifungal potential against Fusarium verticillioides and Dreschlera maydis using the Poisoned food technique. C. nardus essential oil markedly suppressed the growth of F. verticillioides and D. maydis with ED50 values 0.095 and 0.098 mg/ml, respectively and was comparable to synthetic fungicide. The essential oil provides a great scope to be used as a natural eco-friendly fungicide for the control of maize fungi.
... 29 The entry of viruses into cells was found to be prevented by different fractions of Cymbopogon, obtained with the help of chromatography. 30 Active compounds of Mimusops elengi, such as gallocatechin and epigallocatechin, have shown strong anti-HIV-1 integrase enzyme activity. 31 In order to determine the antigen (IBD, infectious bursal disease virus) specific immune response, including CD14 monocyte surface marker, the aqueous leaves extract of Mimusops elengi, and Mesua ferrea were tested on lysed whole blood of human and a decline in a dose-dependent manner in antigenspecific immune response was observed. ...
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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global challenge to the health care system. A novel agent to combat this deadly virus is still a matter of research. Herbal molecules have served humanity since the beginning. Objectives: This narrative review aims to study the antiviral properties of medicinal plants, which are already effectively used in the past against various viruses. It derives the importance of exploration of such phytochemicals, which can be complementarily used to treat COVID-19. Methods: Studies related to traditional medicine and treatment for viruses were retrieved from databases including PubMed, Google scholar until December 2020 using the keywords SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Immunological, Phyto-chemicals, Traditional Medicine. The resulting publications were analyzed to develop a narrative review on the traditional Indian phytochemicals that have been shown to effectively treat various viral infections and potentially treat or prevent COVID-19. Results: Many of the researches are showing that Indian herbal compounds have a significant potential against viral diseases. Plants like Azadirachta indica, Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Ocimum basilicum, and many more have been shown tremendous antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory activities. Conclusion: Phytochemicals obtained from the herbs can be helpful in the treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2via various modes such as inhibition of attachment, penetration, uncoating, replication, assembly, and release of respiratory viruses. Further analysis of the potential phytochemicals in treating SARS-CoV-2 in clinical trials is warranted. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Immunological, Phyto-chemicals, Traditional Medicine
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