Investigation of in vitro anti-HSV-1 activities of crude extracts obtained from ganoderma applanatum

This study focused on examining the potential antiviral effects of methanol, ethanol, and aqueous extracts obtained from the basidiocarps of Ganoderma applanatum, a mushroom species with recognized medicinal properties, against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Initially, the maximum non-toxic concentrations (MNTCs) of the extracts were established using Vero cells. Subsequently, serial two-fold dilutions of these concentrations were tested to explore both the cytotoxic impacts and the potential to suppress cytopathic effects (CPE) associated with HSV-1. After four days of incubation, evaluations were performed using the colorimetric MTT method. The 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀), 50% effective concentration (EC₅₀), and selectivity index (SI) values were determined through nonlinear regression analysis using GraphPad Prism software. The results demonstrated that the methanol extract exhibited the most substantial inhibitory activity against HSV-1, with an EC₅₀ of 54.02 µg/ml and an SI of 12.04, despite having lower potency compared to the reference antiviral, acyclovir (ACV). In contrast, ethanol and aqueous extracts showed no significant antiviral response. Considering the findings, it is suggested that the methanol extract of G. applanatum could be a promising candidate for antiviral drug development targeting HSV-1, warranting further detailed studies. This work is among the first to report on the anti-HSV-1 potential of Ganoderma applanatum.