Pseudohypericin virus

Evidence of antiviral effects has especially been shown for St. John s Wort [2,3,10], Plant preparations with different chemical composition have been assayed against various viruses and both, hypericin and pseudohypericin, were found to be particularly effective as virucidal agents. The two compounds have been shown to be active against a broad range of viruses and retroviruses, such as herpes simplex virus types I and II, vesicular stomatitis and influenza viruses, cytomegalovyrus and human immunodeficiency virus-1 [2,3,10,91,92]. 

Potent antiretroviral activity has been demonstrated for hypericin and pseudohypericin in vivo and in vitro. It is postulated that the compounds interfere with viral infections and/or spread by direct inactivation of the virus or prevent virus shedding, budding, or assembly at the cell membrane. The National Institutes of Health was involved in human clinical trials with oral doses of hypericin in HIV positive subjects. The compound was also being developed as an antiretroviral agent for the transfusion blood supply. Hypericin achieves complete inactivation of more than five logs (more than 100,000 HIV particles/ mL of blood) of infectious HIV The hypericin dose used for inactivation has been shown to be safe to normal blood cells and does not interfere with standard blood tests. Transcription of HIV-1 in different human cells associated with brain HIV-1 infection was suppressed by a novel protein, p27(SJ) isolated from callus cultures of H. perforatum. ... 

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