The ability of extracts of some edible fungi to suppress the reproduction of influenza virus
In this work, extracts from the mycelium of some xylophytic fungi: Pleurotus eryngii, Auricularia auricula- judae, Tremella fuciformis were obtained, the toxicity of the obtained extracts was evaluated, and the antiviral activity was researched. The influenza virus was grown in the allantois cavity of chicken embryos. The infectious titer of the influenza virus was determined by titration on chicken embryos. The presence of the virus was judged by the reaction of hemagglutinating activity. The virus infectivity titer was calculated using the Reed-Muench method. The hemagglutinating activity of viruses was determined by a standard method using 0.75 % suspension of chicken red blood cells. The main criterion for studying the specific antiviral effect of compounds was the CTI (chemical-therapeutic index), that is determined by the ratio of the average toxic concentration of the substance (TC50) to the average effective viral inhibitory concentration (EC50). The antiviral activity of the obtained extracts was studied on a model of human, animal and bird influenza viruses, in the dose range from 0.025 mcg/ml to 1.25 mcg/ml using the methodological recommendations of the “Guidelines for conducting Preclinical studies of medicines”. While studying the acute toxicity of 3 obtained fungi extracts, it was found that all studied fungi compounds with a single intragastric injection to white mongrel mice, did not show a toxic effect in the studied dose range. During the study of the ability to suppress the reproduction of various strains of the influenza virus, it was found that extracts of the fungi Auricularia auricula-judae and Tremella fuciformis have possessed antiviral properties, and extracts exceed in terms of CTI to commercial anti-influenza drugs.